Chronicles of the Gran Grimoir
by Vampire Slushie
Summary: After 15 years of peace and harmony, a chance encounter forever changes the course of Vik's life. As dark activities begin to stir up underground, a new clan forms and the battle for Ivalice's future begins.
1. Prologue

I know this chapter is freaking' long. Please don't lose interest in it!

Author's note: Hi there! Welcome to my homage to one of the greatest games ever: Final Fantasy Tactics Advanced. It was an awesome game and it deserves WAY more attention. Anyways, back to the fanfic. In this story, the spotlight falls on my original characters. The main characters from the game will appear eventually in this comic but there is no guarantee that they will have major roles. Anyway, I'm starting out with a prologue to set the scene for my fanfic. Please read and review.

The obvious disclaimer: All characters are copyright of Square Enix, etc.

---

Prologue

"But if you are as just when you get older, you will be deserving of it."

"Thank you, I'll try my best."

It has been 200 years since Marche was handed the Judge Sword, the sacred weapon of the Judgemaster. The days of his reign were prosperous ones. Technological advances have allowed Ivalice to make contact with foreign lands, bringing new people and items into their borders. Clans were experiencing more freedom since laws were abolished; rendering the judges into powerless lifeguards whose only purpose is to make sure no one dies in an engagement.

Ivalice grew more beautiful each day, but it was not without flaw. Monster attacks were becoming more and more frequent and rebellion has been stirred up in a few villages by revolutionaries wanting life to be "like in the good ol' days". When a young Viera girl was killed by a wild panther, the palace had finally had enough. Judgemaster Marche ordered the complete annihilation of all monsters. This was a declaration of war and thousands of men and women went off to serve their country. It didn't take long for the monsters to realize that their existence was being threatened and they began to fight back.

The war went on for 3 months. We are now entering a crucial turning point in Ivalice's history. The monsters have broken through Bervenia's borders and were slowly making their way to the palace. Unfortunately, Marche and the royal army were fighting a battle in Lutia Pass, which was about 200 miles away. The only thing standing between the Horde of wild beasts and the Palace's inevitable doom was a single clan…

---

The monsters stampeded through the abandoned streets of Bervenia. Upon hearing the roars and cries of the untamed horde, the civilians grabbed only their most precious belongings and were herded into the palace for shelter. It was a good thing they did, too. The monsters went wild when they broke through the borders of the capital. The broke into any house they set their eyes on; tearing up furniture, smashing walls and windows, and feasting on anything they could find. Within a few hours, the town was a complete wasteland.

The monster's pace suddenly came to a halt when they neared the castle gates. A fifteen-foot wall stood between them and the palace. The door, obviously, was shut with a feeble attempt to prolong its fate. The monsters seemed paralyzed by the gates, as if they were amazed that they had come this far. Through the herd, a Coeurl, more commonly known as a blue panther, pushed his way to the front. When he turned to face them, the monsters fell silent. "My fellow brethren!" He barked in clear, audible human language, "I speak for all of us, from the Tonberrys to the Icedrakes. The events of today will not be forgotten. The eyes of history will not turn away. For centuries we have waited for this day; we have come too far to lose now! Beyond those gates lies our destiny. Let's take it by force!" Excited roars and cheers came from the masses. Many of them snapped their jaws and clawed the earth in anticipation. The Coeurl nodded to the two red panthers at his sides and stepped back. "Company attention!" The Reds barked. The cheering died down. The sounds of soft growling echoed through the barren streets. "Charge the gates! Kill whatever you find when you get inside!"

---

Inside the palace gates, a man donned in Hunter gear waited patiently in the middle of the front bridge. He wore dangerous-looking leather boots with plates of metal over the soles. The yellow hunting hat did little to hide his messy brown hair. A bow and a quiver of arrows were slung on his back and a long-sword and knife was belted to his sides. Two Bangaas stood on either side of him, each wearing regulation armor and chain mail and wielding huge broadswords.

"Where is Master Marche?" The hunter whispered to himself. "He must've gotten the message by now." The two Bangaa's continued to stare relentlessly at the front gates as the fingered their weapons with anticipation. The silence was broken when a young moogle boy ran towards the group. "Lord Gale! Lord Gale!" He cried out as he dashed towards them. Upon hearing his name, the hunter turned his head the slightest bit, so he would not lose sight of the gates.

"What are you still doing here, Anry?" He asked the boy. "You should be in the vaults with your..."

"They're evacuating the castle, Kupo!" The moogle interrupted, "I volunteered to bring news from central."

"Anry…" Gale took a nervous glance at the gates, as if he expected them to burst open right then, "Alright. Just give me the important facts and get back to safety."

"Okay, here goes." Anry took a deep breath and started to recite the report. "Seven rangers and eleven spell casters are positioned on the upper balconies. The second battalion, consisting of three soldiers, three Paladins, and two Templars, are on their way here. Villagers are currently being sneaked out through a hidden passageway in the south end of the castle. Two fencers and a Gunner are overlooking the escape while two snipers stand guard. The first and third battalions are inside, still awaiting orders."

"And what about Lady Samantha?" Gale tried to hide his uneasiness when he asked the question but he did a very poor job.

"She is resting, Kupo." Anry said comfortingly. "She hasn't been out of bed all morning."

"That's a relief." Gale took a relaxing breath. "But it is not an assurance. She won't stay off her feet for too long, even if her health is against her."

"Do not worry, Kupo. Sammy's a strong…"

"KUPO! Anry!" A voice suddenly interrupted the report and made both Gale and Anry turn in the direction of the speaker. Standing between the iron-wrought doors was another moogle. He was a bit taller than Anry and wore a blue shirt that extended beyond its knees, a skin-tight hood, and a ski cap, the typical gadgeteer outfit. He also wore a small backpack with cotton wings sewn onto the sides. Anry was overjoyed to see him.

"Kyle! What are you…?"

"I have a reason to be here, little brother. I am a guardian. You must go with the other servants and get out of this castle."

Anry scowled. "But I want to help you fight!"

"Anry…" Kyle walked up and put a hand on his shoulder. "Remember when I left the palace in order to join a clan?"

"Kupo! It was the last time I saw you before today. Why?"

"Do you remember the promise I had you make? I told you to look after and protect mom because I wouldn't be around anymore."

"Oh…right." Anry wriggled out of Kyle's grasp and looked at his feet, "I guess I haven't been very truthful to my words, Kupo."

"There's still time, Kupo! Hurry to the southern exit." Anry looked up and nodded. He stayed long enough to give his older brother a quick hug before running back into the palace. "And give my salutations to mamma!" Kyle called after him.

Gale watched as the young moogle boy ran off. "He's got a lot of courage," He said, smiling. "He'll make a fine warrior one day."

Kyle walked up next to Gale and took a seat on the ground. "Yes, but he can be stubborn at times."

"I wonder where he got that from…" Gale said jokingly. The statement earned him a swift punch to the knees. "Hey, it's the truth." Gale said, trying to hide the pain in his voice.

"Right." Kyle took off his pack and set it down next to him. "What are you doing down here? Aren't you supposed to be up in the alcoves with the other rangers?"

"They can do just fine without me so I decided to help out here."

"Your swordsmanship is exceptional but it's nothing compared to your archery. You should play by your strengths, we'll be fine down here."

Gale shook his head. "No you won't. With the royal army gone, we're short on men. We'll need as many land units we can get in order to hold off these beasts. Besides, I'm in the mood for some hand to hand combat."

Kyle sighed. "You're probably right. We don't know how many monsters are coming for us. Better safe than sorry, I guess." The doors burst open again and the second battalion ran in. "Guardian Gale, sir!" The first soldier saluted, though he was a bit out of breath. "We've arrived not a minute too soon. The monsters have just been spotted over the northern hills. There's hundreds of 'em!"

"Calm yourself, soldier." Gale said sharply. "I want you two to stand guard by the doors." He pointed at a Templar and a Soldier. "If the monsters get past us, I want you to close the doors. Do not hesitate. Understood?" The two units nodded immediately and walked back to the doors. "Now the rest of you, form a second row behind me and wait for the signal." The other units said nothing and formed a line behind Gale, Kyle, and the two Bangaas. They each drew their various weapons; short-swords, knight swords, spears, each with different sizes and shapes. Above, the archers strung their bows and aimed at the gates.

Kyle's long rabbit-like ears perked up. "You hear that?" He asked as he pulled on a leather glove with 5-inch razorblades fitted on each finger. Gale closed his eyes and concentrated. There it was: the stamping of thousands of feet, the excruciating pants and growls, and the angry barks and snarls. There was no mistake, the monsters were here. "Ready yourselves, men..." He said, drawing his own weapons. There was a loud thump on the door as the monsters tried to force their way in. "Wait for it…" there came another thump which was followed shortly by a crack. "On my command." On the third thump the gates gave way. The barricade split in half and the leading monsters wriggled their way in as others worked to widen the hole. "Attack!" Gale shouted. He charged at the monsters, his blades cutting through the air at his sides. And with a confident war cry, the battalion followed.

---

Loud coughing was coming from the far end of the room when Hannah poked her head through the door. "Mistress Samantha!" Samantha turned around in fright but calmed down when she saw it was only her lady-in-waiting. She immediately turned back and continued to tie up her battle boots. Hannah was almost fuming. "Lady Samantha!" She called out louder, thinking that her mistress didn't hear her. Samantha finished lacing up her shoes and gave the young Viera girl a friendly smile.

"Hello Hannah."

"Don't get smart with me." Hannah said in a tone that probably would get her fired, "Just what do you think you're doing out of bed?"

"What does it look like I'm doing?" She said coolly as she tied up the end of her hair.

"You're not going out to fight, are you?"

"I sure am. And don't try to…" Samantha meant to say 'stop me' but she was immediately interrupted. Hannah had snapped.

"Are you crazy? Fighting in your condition? You won't last…" It only took one look at Samantha's eyes to get her to stop.

"I know that you, like many others, are concerned about my health." She tied up the back of he shoulder-less red mage outfit and wrapped a small cloak around her. "But I won't let it stop me from helping my clan."

"But aren't you afraid you'd die?"

"It will not be a life wasted. I would rather go down fighting than die helplessly in a bed." She turned her back to the Viera and walked to the other side of the room and picked up her rapier. "Besides, they need me out there. They need Enclair."

"BUT WHAT ABOUT SARIA?" Hannah burst out. Across the room, Samantha dropped her rapier. Her hand was shaking uncontrollably. Hannah clapped both hands over her mouth, hoping to stop the words from coming out. Too late. "Mistress, I'm sorry…" she began.

"You…" The woman turned around and looked right at the Viera girl. Hannah could see streams of tears pouring out of her eyes. "…leave her out of this!" She reached down and snatched up her rapier. "Now get out of my way!" She took three steps towards the door when her knee suddenly buckled and she collapsed on the ground. Immediately, her coughing started up again. Only this time, she was coughing up blood. Hannah walked up beside the female human and tried to calm the coughing. "Mistress, are you…?"

"I'm okay. I just bit my lip." Samantha lied quickly. Somehow, she knew Hannah didn't believe her. To her surprise, the Viera put one of he arms around her shoulder and helped her to her feet. "Hannah? I thought…"

"Save it." She said sharply. "This goes against all of my judgment, but I won't stop you from doing your duty. It's my job to fulfill your wishes to the greatest extent possible. If it is your will to fight, then I will fight beside you." Samantha was at a loss for words. The only thing she could manage was a nod and a smile of overwhelming happiness. "Now come on." Said Hannah, returning the smile, "It sounds like they really need you down there."

---

A high-pitched shriek echoed through Gale's ears as the Antlion fell lifeless. He barely had enough time to catch his breath when a second one came lunging at his ankles. He twisted himself out of the way and jabbed his knife through the top of its skull. It gave one final roar before collapsing next to the other Antlion. Gale reached down to pull out his knife only to find out it had stuck fast. "No time to pry it out…" He thought, knocking a bomb into the water. He gripped his long-sword with both hands and charged at a Thundrake.

"Push your way forward, brethren!" Shouted the head Coeurl, "We have them on the defense! Keep…" The panther's commanding barks was interrupted when a giant, yellow beach ball came whizzing towards him, smacking him hard on the head. He stumbled around, trying to blink away his confusion. After a few seconds, his vision was beginning to clear up. He got a good look at the battlefield right before two razorblades pierced through his eyes while a third went right through his forehead.

Kyle flinched as he yanked his blade-tipped fingers from the Coeurl's skull. "Gross!" He whispered as he wiped it clean on the ground. As he looked up, he caught sight of two red panthers standing over their fallen leader. After some prodding and sniffing, they turned their heads at Kyle and snarled. "Crap. They just keep coming."

"There are too many of them!" Cried a Paladin. He was right. The monsters were everywhere, going for the first break in the defenses they saw. They had formed a semi-circle around the mouth of the bridge and were slowly closing in. "Fall back!" Ordered Gale as he yanked his sword out of the dragon's corpse. "The bridge is the only way to cross. If we force them into an enclosed area, we might have an advantage. Go now! I'll hold them off." With that, he tossed aside his long-sword and drew his bow. "Sonic boom." He whispered, notching three arrows into the bow and shooting them straight upwards in the direction of the monsters. When it hit about 40 feet, they each exploded, showering the beasts with a barrage of fireballs. Gale started backing up, sending arrows left and right. It wasn't enough to stop them from approaching but at least it kept them at a distance. When he reached the end of the bridge, he stopped firing and moved behind the other units. The monsters took this as a sign to attack and they all rushed to cross the narrow bridge. Gale immediately saw a problem with his plan. True, only a few monsters could cross the bridge at one time, but there was always a row behind the first. The narrow bridge also meant he could only send in a four or five men in at one time. They managed to destroy a few waves before becoming overwhelmed by the large numbers. He watched helplessly as the men were torn apart before him. "Retreat! Back into the castle! Now!" He turned around and dashed at the doors. The remains of the battalion didn't hesitate to follow. As soon as the last soldier was in, the Soldier and the Templar dragged the heavy doors closed.

---

"We're doomed!" Cried Kyle, collapsing on the floor. "It won't be long before they force open the front door. I think I'll just lie here and offer myself as a sacrifice. While they're busy with me, you guys can escape."

Gale looked at Kyle in disbelief. "Was that supposed to be funny?"

Kyle shrugged. "Maybe a little. The first part was true though."

"Have you lost hope already?" Asked a calm, female voice. Gale, Kyle, and the rest of the soldiers turned to see who it was. At the end of the hallway was a red-clothed woman being prodded up by a Viera. "Samantha?" Gale's expression went from surprised to alarmed. "What are you doing out of bed?"

Hannah helped her walk up to the group. Gale gave her a sharp glance. Hannah retaliated with one of her 'she made me do it' looks.

"I couldn't sleep knowing that you're out there risking your life with the other clan members." Samantha said weakly. "You need me. You need Encl…"

"ARE YOU NUTS?" Gale found himself screaming, but he didn't care. "You can't use that again! The last time you used it, it nearly sucked the life right out of you!"

"I have to. It's the only way we can…"

"No! You can't! I won't allow it! It's too…"

"STOP TRYING TO PROTECT ME!" Samantha shouted. Despite the frailness of her voice, the words seemed to echo through the halls. Gale immediately shut up. And so did everybody else.

"Sam…I was only thinking of your…"

"Stop thinking about me!" She cried angrily. "I'm not the thing you're supposed to be protecting here! Now get out of my way."

Deep down, Gale knew she was right. Still, his feet refused to move an inch. Hannah gave him a defeated look. "Gale, you know how she is." She said, "She's already made up her mind. There's nothing you can say or do to stop her. Keeping her here is only prolonging the suffering." She was right, of course. He couldn't do a thing.

"There has to be another way…" Gale looked down at his hands, feeling them crunch up into a fist. "I can't lose you…I won't lose you!"

"I wish there was another way. I really do." Said Samantha, folding her hands in a praying style, "But sadly, there isn't. Now step aside!" With that, she willed up whatever strength was still inside her and cast Aero. Hannah and Gale were blown out of the way, clearing a path to the front door. As the winds died down, Gale sprang back up onto his feet and tried running back in front of Samantha. Instead, he ran right into a metal wall. "Owww…what the..." Looking up, he realized it wasn't a wall, but the metal fist of a Totema. It had materialized right above Samantha, hovering over her like a shield. The Totema had blue skin and was wearing a white dress. The six angelic wings that protruded from her back were arranged like a butterfly's. Instead of legs, an ancient looking laser cannon was connected to the bottom of its hips. It didn't take long for Gale to realize who it was. "Ultima? What are you doing? Samantha's in danger!"

The Totema paid no attention to his cries and instead, she helped Samantha to her feet. "I will listen only to my master's desires. If she wishes me to do something, it will be done." It said.

"Thank you, Ultima." Samantha slowly started walking towards the doors. Each step felt like every bone in her leg would break but she continued forward. "I'm sorry, Gale." She said to him as he tried to break through the barrier Ultima had created with her arm. "I'm so sorry." As she came closer to the great iron doors, memories began blossoming in her mind. There were memories of being happy, of being sad, and memories of her just being glad to be alive. As she watched her life flash before her eyes, a single tear managed to squeeze it's way out and roll down her cheek. "This is it…" She said to herself as her hands pressed against the smooth metal. "The end of the line. There's no turning back." Taking a deep breath, she pushed against the heavy doors.

---

Outside, the monsters were restless. The retreat of the humans (and Bangaas and moogle) had given them a much needed confidence boost. They were practically jumping out of their skins in excitement as the Wyrms and Blade Biters tried to scratch and bite a hole through the door. When they had taken a good chunk out of the door, they suddenly stopped. Confused, the other monsters strained to see why the diggers had stopped. The reason: the door was slowly opening. Unable to wait any longer, the monsters pushed forward, as if they wanted to squeeze themselves through the inch-wide crack. They could see it now; the screaming women, the crying children, it was going to be pure bliss…

POW! The doors flew open so fast, the monsters unfortunate enough to be standing in the front row were either knocked away or crushed between the wall. The giant fist of Ultima plowed its way through the rows of monsters, clearing a space for Samantha to walk. "Whenever you are ready, mistress." It said, knocking away several Tonberrys. Samantha nodded slightly and stepped out of the castle's doorstep. Ultima quickly pushed the doors closed behind her.

For about five seconds, everything was silent. Then, primal instinct kicked in and the beasts threw themselves at what they saw as a potential meal. Ultima had to cup her hands around her to keep the snarling beasts at bay. Samantha closed her eyes and concentrated. "Release the light…Enclair!" As soon as the words left her mouth, she immediately collapsed, clutching her chest in pain. It felt like someone was pressing white-hot metal against her lungs. Her whole body became bathed in light. Above her, Ultima was in a similar state; rays of light burst through random points on her body. Common sense told the monsters to back away, but their feet refused to separate themselves from the ground. Their bodies began to grow heavy as the blinding light claimed row after row. Samantha did her best to ignore the pain as she rose to her feet. From above, Ultima gave her a reassuring smile. "Forgive me, Saria." Samantha whispered to what seemed to be no one in particular. With that, they raised their arms over their heads and began to chant in unison the words of destruction. With every word, strength began to drain from their bodies and the light began to recede. At the end of the spell, a gigantic orb of light rested between Ultima's palms. "See you in hell…" Samantha muttered as the light turned from white to black. Together, she and Ultima closed their hands around the orb and brought it downwards. "Alpha Masher!" The second their hands touched the ground, all hell broke loose. The earth began to crumble up as the orb exploded on impact, sending a wave of pure energy at everything surrounding it. The monsters could do nothing as the wave swept over them, tearing the very flesh from their bones. The metallic plates on Ultima's arm began to peel back from the force of the attack. Cracks revealed themselves throughout her entire body. Within seconds, her entire left side was blown apart and it collapsed onto the ground. Samantha could feel herself being torn apart too. Starting from her arms, she slowly began to break apart. Literally. Cell by cell, her body began shriveling up into dust.

---

After what seemed like a lifetime (it was really only 35 seconds), The light faded away and the dust began to settle. In the middle of the castle grounds was a huge crater, spanning over a hundred feet in diameter. Outside the crater, the corpses of the monsters 'luck' enough to be hit only by the shockwave were spread out across the ground. Silence lingered over the land, quietly mourning the lost souls.

"What the hell was that?" Exclaimed Kyle as the ground finally stopped shaking. He picked himself up and looked over the room. Everything was still in one piece and nobody was hurt. Gale was in ruins, however. His fists were clenched and he was shaking uncontrollably. A mixture of grief and anger was set on his face. "She used it." He managed to choke out as he tried to suppress his ague, "She used Enclair." Hannah walked over and gave him a comforting pat on the back. "It's not your fault." She told him repeatedly. Gale took a deep breath and relaxed. "I know it's not." He said, wiping away his tears, "But that doesn't change the fact that she's gone."

One soldier pressed his ear against the door and listened. "Hey…it's quiet." Motioning to two other units, they pushed the doors open. As the light of day streamed through the doorway, it brought with it a gruesome sight. But, as gruesome as it was, it was peace.

---

Though her body had long turned to ash, her voice still lingers in the wind. "My dearest wish…" She said to herself, since no one was around to hear her final words. "To live a life not wasted. To extinguish my light so one greater can take form. I'm sorry it had to end like this. Please take care of Saria." And in the center of the crater, a small glass sphere lies half buried in dirt. Inside it sleeps an unborn human fetus.

It has been fifteen years since that faithful day when Guardian Samantha gave her life to protect the people she loved. Soon after that, the war came to an end and life began anew. And so, our story begins…

Ending note: Hiya! It's me again. I just want to get a few things cleared up.

1. The story takes place 200 years after the game's second ending and Marche is 25 (Cus time flows differently in Ivalice. It's magical!)

2. There are human females (shocking, I know!)

Thank you for sitting through this first chapter. The next will be up soon (I will try to make it shorter).


	2. Destiny in Bagabu

Destiny in Bagabu

"_My dearest wish...to live a life not wasted. To extinguish my light so one greater can take form. I'm sorry it had to be this way. Please take care of Saria."_

The words floated through Vik's head and haunted his memories. As meaningless as they were to him, Vik couldn't shake them out of his head. They were the last words heard in his dream. A dream he had been having every night for the past two weeks. Every night he saw it; the palace, the hordes of monsters, the defender's retreat, and pure destruction. Each night, he stood between the opposing forces, both completely unaware of his presence as they fought vigorously. This did not prevent him from getting hurt, though. He would wake up each morning drenched in cold sweat and find cuts and bruises matching ones he had received in the dream from the night before. He was sure there was a simple explanation for all of this, but he just couldn't shake the feeling that he should have stayed in bed today.

"Vik..." Called a tiny voice. "Hey, Vik!" The words entered his ears but got jumbled up in his cloud of thoughts. A small punch to his arm sent him reeling back into reality. Blinking lazily, he turned to the seat next to him and found himself staring into blank space. He was shaking his head in confustion when a loud cough diverted his gaze downwards. Seated next to him was a teenage moogle boy. He was barely as high as Vik's knee and had a small patch of blond hair between two well-groomed bunny ears. A leather-bound book laid open on his lap. He wore a plain white shirt with an upturned collar with gray shorts and vest. Vik immediately recognized him as his best friend. "What's up, Kili?" He asked sleepily. "You were drifting again." The moogle said in a slightly irritated tone before changing it to one of worry. "You haven't been yourself these past few weeks. Is something wrong, kupo?"

"No." Vik said half-heartedly as he turned around and continued to stare thoughtlessly through the window. Kili growled angrily but turned back to his book. He decided it was probably personal business and he didn't want to get involved. "Whatever, kupo. You don't have to tell me. Just stay alive." He said half-seriously to his human friend.

---

Fields of corn and Chocobos zoomed past the window. The bus ride seemed endless and the fact there was no air conditioning didn't help matters. Vik's eyes drifted from the repetitive scenery to the front of the bus. The seats before him were filled with restless humans, as well as chatterly moogles, wise-cracking Nu Mou, annoyed Bangaas and quiet Vieras. All were clad in similar gray and white outfits. _"Of course they look the same."_ He thought, _"It is the uniform after all."_ The boy's uniform was similar to Kili's: white shirt with gray pants and vest. The girls wore white blouses and gray skirts. Vik looked over his own uniform. He hated wearing it, since the fabric made him itch. Luckily, freshmen at the Cyril Academy were only required to wear them on special occasions. They wanted everyone to see that they were loyal, well-behaved scholars. Even so, the students found them dorky.

As one might have guessed, this was one of those special occasions. The class was on its way to Bagabu Port for a normal, everyday trip to the Monster Zoo. At least, the closest thing to a zoo that there was nowadays. Nobody had even seen a live monster in the past 15 years. They were on their way to something the government called a "Monster Holding Facility". Technically, it consisted of rows upon rows of glass capsules that contained the lifeless bodies of the monsters along with charts, diagrams, and models showing what it might have done if it were alive. It was more of a museum than a zoo, really. Vik had been there a few times; he found it wasn't exactly one of the most exciting places to be.

"Attention everyone!" Cried a cheerful, high pitched voice, "We'll be arriving at our destination in ten minutes. Please pick up all your trash and dispose of it as soon as we get off the bus!" Some of the kids groaned, Vik and Kili were among them. How their teacher, Ms. Matteya, could keep such a happy attitude in this heat was beyond them all. Then again, knowing teachers, they probably got a kick out of seeing students suffer.

---

Vik strained to keep his eyes open. It had only been half an hour and the trip was already a full blown snore festival. Most of the students have been reduced to a zombie-like state; mindlessly listening to the tour guide drone on about Arithman flight patterns and pretending to agree with every statement. Like the other guides, he finally ended his speech with a lame joke and looked expectantly at his audience. The only one who laughed was Ms. Matteya. Not wanting to embarrass the guide any further, she quickly ushered the students to the next exhibit, not realizing two students were lagging behind. "Come along, class." She sang as she waved the class through the next set of doors. When the room was emptied, Vik gave Kili, who had mastered the art of sleeping while standing, a swift kick in the back. "Ow!" Cried the moogle as he snapped back into consciousness, "What was that for?"

"The class is moving on to the next exhibit." He said before turning around and walking towards the emergency exit. "Just thought you'd like to know."

"Thanks. I never would have...wait...where are you going?" Kili asked when he realized Vik probably wasn't following the tour.

"Where does it look like I'm going?" Vik said, not even stopping to look back.

"You're gonna be in huge trouble if you're caught, kupo. Besides, they're probably looking for us right now."

"I'll be fine." Said Vik as he checked if the door was wired to an alarm. "Ms. Matteya is new and still doesn't know us by face. She only takes attendance during arrival and departure. If I leave during the middle and make it back to the entrance before One o' clock, she'll never know I was gone."

"But you where else can you go?"

"I not sure but there's got to be _some _excitement around here. I don't know if it's even possible to die from boredom but I'm not going to hang around long enough to find out. See ya!" He pushed against the bar handle and walked through the door.

"Wait!" Shouted Kili as he ran towards the door. He was only a few steps away when it clicked shut. Obviously, the designers did not have the moogles in mind. Kili wasn't as short as most moogles, but the bar was still over a foot above his head. He tried jumping for the handle, but it was well out of reach. After giving it a hard kick, he wandered away from the door and back to the center of the room. "Kupo...you never told me which way the group went..."

---

Author's note: I know, I know. Not a lot happened in this chapter but you have to start somewhere, right? I'll admit, it sounds like one of those afternoon specials right now but I promise the next chapter would be a bit more exciting. And yes, there are buses in Ivalice now. Just one of its many technological advances.


	3. The Iron Angel

The Iron Angel

_"So she's in there?"_

_"Yes. I'm sure of it. The eye never lies."_

_"A monster holding facility...how appropriate."_

_"I find it rather ironic. But since we're here, we can increase the Sect's forces by freeing a few monsters. It'll make the job a whole lot easier."_

_"Are you sure that's wise? Think of the consequences."_

_"Let's see...mass murder, widespread panic...sounds like heaven to me!"_

---

Vik wandered along the white-washed hallway. Since the Monster Holding Facility shared a building with the Bagabu Airport, the place was pretty huge. And on top of that, every hallway was an exact carbon copy of the one before it. The walls were blank, with no paintings or cracks. At around five paces, the floor tiles began to repeat their patterns. Seeing that it was impossible to tell where you were in a place where everything looked the same, Vik was officially lost. He couldn't find a map or sign anywhere, most likely because when you enter a door with the words "Authorized Personnel Only", they expected you to to know your way around. The only thing Vik was sure about was that he was walking west, a fact he picked up after noting the position of the sun when he walked past a window. As he continued down the halls, he tried every door he came across. Most of the rooms were locked or had security guards in front of them. After thirty minutes of wandering, the only room he had found open was a washroom. It was a somewhat interesting washroom, but it wasn't exactly what he was searching for. "What _am _I searching for." He said, suddenly stopping. He had been walking nonstop for almost half an hour, taking turns that felt almost random, yet not once had he run into a dead end. It was as if someone or something had led him here. By _here_, he meant the end of a deserted hallway standing opposite to a single door with no guards in sight.

Having nowhere better to go, Vik slowly approached the door. It was different from the others. The doors Vik had encountered so far were made of wood and swung on hinges; this door was pure metal from head to toe. Instead of hinges, a rubber-covered track ran along the floor, which probably meant it slid open. On the wall next to it, there was a small computer console with a number pad and and a tiny, black square: a fingerprint scanner. It didn't take a genius to figure out the door was locked. _"How very...anti-climactic." _His mind remarked. But just as he was ready to turn back, he got the sudden urge to press his thumb against the scanner. "_There's no harm in trying."_ He thought, pushing his thumb against the black square, half expectang an alarm to go off. When no such thing happened, Vik gave a dissapointed sigh and pull ed away. He had barely lifted his thumb off of the scanner when the square suddenly slid open, jabbing a needle right into his finger. "Ow!" Vik shouted, yanking back his hand, a single drop of blood forming on his thumb. _"Who the hell designed this place?"_ He thought angrily. He was just about to pound the console into scrap metal bue when he looked up to take aim, he caught sight of the doors sliding open. "Welcome, Mr. Maytron." Chimed the computer. Seeing Vik's last name was Fellcrest, it was obviously a mistake. But Vik could have cared less about why the doors opened or why someone out there had the same DNA as him. He was too caught up with what was inside.

---

Meanwhile, in the far south of the building, Allen the Bangaa stood guard in front of a private section of the facility. Housed in the room behind him were living specimens; monsters kept alive only for research purposes. Housed in this particular room were 100 Firebombs, 35 Lamias, 16 Icedrakes, and 24 Flans. They were, like the other monsters, suspended in water in a glass pod. The only difference was instead of corpses, these specimens were still very much alive. Stored in thes 175 pods were relics, ranging from snakeskins to bones, each no bigger than a volleyball. They were mere objects made significant by one thing: a spirit bond. Relics are what's left behind after a monster is knocked out so the monsters in this ward could be considered 'sleeping'.

Even though security personel gave round-the-clock protection, possesion of a live monster ran the risk of revival so extra precautions were still taken. With permission from the judgemaster, a spell was cast inside so using healing abilities was prohibited. Guarding that room probably wasn't the most difficult job in the world, since hardly anyone wanted to steal a flesh-eating killing machine.

---

"Well, here we are. Section 4: Bombs, Flans, Dragons, and Lamias. The only things you can control with that tiny bell of yours."

"It's more than enough. The only thing I was worried about was security but it turns out there's only one guy guarding it."

"This'll be a snap."

The voices finally stepped out from the shadows. The first belonged to a Nu Mou and the other one belonged to a Viera. Both were clad in similar Black cloaks with silver trim.

Allen eyed the newly emerged figures suspiciously as they slowly approached. A chill ran up his back when the stopped right in front of him. "Urm..." He said, trying his best to make his voice steady. "Ssssorry folksss. This isss a ressstricted area so unless you have a pass I'm going to have to asssk you to...Ugh!" The bangaa looked down and saw the steely fingers of the Viera had punctured his stomach. "You bi..." He never got to finish his insult because the Viera's leg shot up and kicked him in the chest. The guard fell flat onto the floor. "See. Not hard at all." She said, wiping the blood on the lifeless bangaa's pants.

"Bring him with us." Said the Nu Mou as he pushed open the door. "The monsters might like a fresh snack." They each grabbed a leg and dragged the limp body with them into the room. "Did you bring the antilaw?" The Viera nodded and withdrew a small brown card. "Let's do this." She said, throwing the card up and watching it break up into a thousand tiny sparks. With the law dispelled, the Viera formed a diamond with her thumb and index finger and concentrated. "Phoenix!" She called out. Flames shot up along the ground beside them, shaping themselves into the form of a proud bird. With a deafening shriek, it stretched out his wings and shot across the room, raining burning feathers down onto the motionless relics. Upon contact, the relics sprang back to life, growing over four times their size, some even more. Since glass wasn't known to adjust to size shifts, all 175 tanks burst open, spilling water and all other contents onto the floor. The monsters, now full-sized and throughly mobile, were thrown on top of eachother in a heap. "My my." Said the Nu Mou, removing a tiny glass bell as he watched the monsters' struggle for dominance as they attemted to climb over one another. "This is quite a turn out. I'm not sure there's going to be enough room for all of them here. You better take a few home." He gave the Viera a huge smile.

"You sure you're going to be alright?" She asked without returning the gesture.

"I'll be fine. How hard can it be to steal a sleeping girl?"

The Viera shrugged before waving her right hand above her head. "I'll see you later then." There was a sudden flash of light. When the room came back into focus, the viera was gone along with two thirds of the monster population. The Nu Mou gave a small chuckle before turning back to the remaining monsters. They were like they always were; reckless, confused, and untamed. Sighing, he held the bell straight out and started ringing it. The monster's ears(those that had them) perked up and turned their attention to the Nu Mou. "Good." He said, smiling. "Now that I have your attention, how's about you do a little favor for me?"

---

Vik stared in awe as the giant metal slabs slid open. The room behind them appeared to be a a small Hanger with a hundred foot ceiling, the kind normally used as a garage for airplanes. The room, which resembled a large warehouse in appearance, was nothing special and had it contained its expected object, it wouldn't have been worth even a second glance. This, of course, was not the case, for what Vik saw left him speechless.

In the middle of the hanger was a gigantic iron maiden. It reached from floor to ceiling and took up more than half of the room. A frilly white dress covered up most of her sapphire skin and its long blond hair rested softly on her shoulders. Six feathered wings stuck out from its back. It would have almost looked human if it weren't for it's bottom half, for in place of her legs, was an ancient but complex looking...something. Vik wasn't entirely sure what it was. At first glance, it had the appearance of a cannon. Four cylindrical chambers were arranged in a square with a large gun barrel nested between them. There were also two pieces of metal resembling helicopter propellers on the end of the barrel. The name "Ultima" was printed on the side of one of the chambers.

Vik's initial intention was to run but after examining it for a while, he doubted it could even move. In fact, it was badly damaged. Weather damage had left hundreds of thousands of holes and scratches were visible on it's skin. Evidence of rust, which were present all around its lower half, had compltely eaten away the nose of the barrel. It's entire left arm was missing and to keep it from falling over, its entire body was surrounded by metal scaffolding

Vik took a few steps towards it. There were no signs of movement and it made no sounds, but it somehow felt alive. It definitely was not a statue but he wasn't sure what else it could be. Deciding that it was probably harmless, Vik ran up and started climbing up the scaffolding, wanting to view the world through the giantess's eyes. He was only a short climb from the top when he noticed something out of place. With little difficulty, he swung himself onto the wooden walkway just slightly below the wings. Unlike the rest of the body, which had a brilliant luster, the wings were dull and dusty. They seemed almost...organic. Vik carefully leaned out and pressed his palm against it. "_No way..._" he thought, "_It's...warm!_"

"Amazing, isn't she?" The voice came so suddenly, Vik almost lost his footing and grabbed onto the railing for support. When his normal heart rate returned, he turned to confront his speaker. Standing at the foot of the iron maiden was a man in his mid-twenties. He had bright red hair and brown eyes. He wore a brown pilot jacket over a black tank top and brown cargo pants. His sleeves were rolled up revealing a snake tattoo on his left arm. "Um...yeah." Vik responded in a 'I'm so busted' tone. The man gave him a small smile. At least Vik thought it was a smile.

"Why don't you come down?" The man shouted up. "You almost broke your neck." Vik stalled for a moment to look at the height of the possible fall but figured he'd have to climb down sooner or later. Slowly, he descended to the ground and slowly approached the man. Looking up at the elder, Vik expected to be scolded. But thankfully, the man didn't appear to be angry. After looking him over and confirming the boy wasn't a threat, the man finally spoke up. "How did you get in here?"

"I walked through the doors." Vik said punctually.

The man gave him a slight look of disbelief before chuckling a little. "I could have sworn those doors were locked."

"They were." Vik mumbled, raising his bleeding thumb.

"You say they opened for you?" Vik nodded. "Do one of your relatives live here? Maybe you have a similar DNA sequence."

Vik shook his head. "As far as I know, my dad's family has always been farmers and my mom's family have been hand-maids. My mom and dad were the first generation to receive a formal education and they're both doctors."

"That's strange." The man looked Vik over and noticed the uniform. "You're with the tour aren't you?"

Busted. "Um...well...you see..."

To Vik's surprise, the man started laughing. "I understand. You snuck off didn't you?" He said when he finally stopped, "I know how boring it can get. Hell, I practically fall asleep when I walk through it every morning to get to the coffee machine." He was still chuckling lightly when he stuck his hand out at Vik. " I'm Captain Nicholas Acheron. Welcome to Hanger 15."

Vik returned the handshake nervously. Most grown-ups had weak handshakes, as if they were afraid to break the other person's hand. Captain Nicholas had a strong grip and shook fiercely; something that adults hardly ever did, probably because they were afraid of crushing the child's hands. The firm handshake meant the man was treating him as an equal and Vik decided to deem him trustworthy, an honor a teen rarely gave to adults. "Vik Fellcrest." He returned. Suddenly he remembering his school's etiquette policy and started reciting the long and arduous speech. "Cyril Academy Private School proudly accepts your welcome with..."

"Ok. I get the picture. You can cut the formalities." The Captain said, ruffling Vik's hair.

"Thanks. I was having trouble remembering the last part." Vik said, releasing the handshake. "If you don't mind me asking, what exactly is that..." Vik had the urge to say 'thing' but it sounded rather disrespectful so he just motioned towards the iron maiden.

Nicholas raised an eyebrow. "What have they been teaching you in that school? I would have thought that a private academy would at least teach our kids the country's history."

"They do. And believe me, the textbooks never mentioned this anywhere."

The captain walked passed Vik and strolled towards the maiden. "It's a Totema." He said finally.

Vik first reaction was that it was a joke but he noticed the man's serious expression. "That's impossible." He said doubtfully. "They're only myths. Urban legends! Old wives tales!"

"No, they're not!" Nicholas boomed, sending a jolt racing down Vik's spine. "They are real. They don't just exist in stories and legends, they're written on the pages of history. And the proof is right before your eyes."

Vik stared at Captain Nicholas and then at the maiden. Yes, it did seem alive somehow, but a Totema? "Where'd you find it?" He said when he finally managed to process everything that was happening now.

"A crew of Miners found it buried in a rock bed near Roda volcano. A few months later, it's left arm was fished out just a few miles south in the Ulei River." He jerked his head to his left. A large hunk of metal that only slightly resembled an arm laid next to the Totema. "Don't worry, it's completely harmless. Its spirit has long returned to its people ever since Marche destroyed the crystal."

Suddenly, the word printed on the barrel made sense. This was Ultima, the totema of the Nu Mous. "So why's it here?" Vik said. "Shouldn't it be in a museum or something."

"Most people aren't ready to accept the fact that these beings once walked among us. You are one of them." Vik looked shamefully at the ground. "Besides, it's an interesting thing to study. With a little luck and reconstruction, we can turn it into a floating fortress. It'll be the countries greatest defense."

"So that thing's lower half really is a cannon?" Vik was so caught up in the moment, he slipped and said the "T" word. Luckily, Captain Nicholas didn't notice. "So how does it work?"

"Follow me. I'll show you how it works." He said as the chance to brag won over confidentiality. They walked over to the corner of the hanger. It had the appearance of a cluttered office. Maps and blueprints were scattered on several desks along with various tools. A safe with a combination lock rested next to a smooth, plastic cube about the same size and shape of a large dishwasher. In the back, a computer terminal was set up with so many wires and switchboards Vik couldn't even locate the on switch. Captain Nicholas marched right up to the safe and spun the dial. A small click was heard and the door swung open. Reeaching inside, the captain carefully removed a large metal box about the size of a business suitcase and laid it on top of the desk. He undid the clamps and lifted the top off. Inside of it, tucked between a red pillow, were four glittering crystals. Each were about the size of your fist and changed color with the light. Vik knew exactly what they were but could hardly believe it. "Judge Crystals..." He managed to mouth.

Captain Nicholas nodded. "They were extremely hard to track down. Ever since Judgemaster Marche abolished the judgment system, the judges may have lost the power to penalize, but they lost the power to reward too. The demand for judge points skyrocketed within seconds. The average cost for one is over 400,000 Gil. With the funds at hand, we were only able to purchase 48 of them, which could only create 4 complete crystals."

With the captain's approval, Vik picked up one of the spare judge points and examined it. "So what's this got to do with anything?"

"Heh heh. You're looking at the Totema's bullets!" Vik almost dropped the JP in shock. It was like shooting pure gold out of a cannon. No, scratch that, gold wasn't even worth half as much as these crystals. Nicholas smiled at Vik's reaction. "I know. It's a pretty expensive shot. We found that the JPs could somehow draw out the Totema's power. If we load a crystal into that cannon, charge it up with the Totema's energy, and send it at, I don't know...enemy territory, the results will be unbelievable."

"But you've only got four shots." Vik said, aware that he was only pointing out the obvious.

"Three actually. We need to use one of the crystals as a power source to keep her in the air." He replied grimly. "We're trying to find an alternative for it but we haven't gotten much luck."

"There's an alternative?" So far, the only way Vik knew how to summon a Totema was with JPs, since that's where they probably got their energy from.

"Of course. We do have one..." He paused suddenly and took a hard look at Vik. Vik just stared back, since he never learned how to look innocent. "I guess I could show you." He placed the lid back on the box and walked over to the giant plastic cube. "Don't tell anyone about this!" He said sharply. Vik nodded silently and walked up next to him, staring at the cube with mild fascination. Captain quickly punched a few numbers into a number pad on the side and lifted the lid up. A wave of frost billowed out from the newly opened container. As the frost cleared up, a foggy glass sphere came into view. It took up almost all the space inside the box. "Behold, the alternative!" The captain said, brushing off the layer of ice on the sphere's surface. Vik's mouth fell open when he saw what was inside. Everything he had seen that day was beyond belief, but what he was saw now put everything else to shame.

---

Kili walked along the endless walls of glass containers. He had been wandering around aimlessly for over an hour and not a soul passed his way the whole time. As each minute clicked by, he felt a bit of his sanity slip away. He almost regretted not tagging along with Vik, and that was saying a lot. "Where the kupo is everyone!" He shouted out in frustration. "And who the hell built this place? Did they purposely make it so we'd spend the rest of our days-" SPLASH! The sudden sound made Kili cease his current rant. He found himself standing in a small puddle. "_That's weird. Did a toilet clog up or something_?" Looking around the room, he saw that the entire hallway was flooded. He followed the path of the water to a room on the southern wall. The water here was ankle deep, so this was probably the source. "What happened here, kupo?" He said to himself as he waded over to the door and peeked inside. What he saw was over a hundred shattered glass capsules. "What is this..."

"The beginning of life anew." Said a hoarse voice from behind him. Kili spun around and found himself staring face to face with a black-cloaked Nu Mou and a team of monsters. Live monsters! "Wha...what do you want Kupo?" Kili managed to choke out.

"Nothing right now." The Nu mou said before smiling evilly. "But my friends here would love some fresh breakfast." He snapped his finger at a flan and pointed directly at the moogle.

Before he knew it, a melting jawline closed around Kili and swallowed him whole, plunging him into a cold and slimy darkness.


	4. Uprising in the West Wing

**Warning: There is nudity in this chapter. Nothing nasty happens though, so the T rating is maintained. I hope this is alright. I've read other T-rated fanfics with nudity in them and as long as I don't say certain words, I should be fine. Right?**

Uprising in the West Wing

"Behold, the alternative!" Bellowed the captain as he brushed away the top layer of ice on the sphere. Everything Vik had seen earlier that day paled in comparison to what he was looking at now. Behind the barrier of glass was a human girl about the same age as Vik. She had peach-white skin and light pink lips. Her long, raven-black hair flowed serenely in the water surrounding her. These details, however, went unnoticed. The only thing Vik could concentrate on was her face and the fact the girl was completely naked. Common courtesy begged him to turn away, but he couldn't take his eyes off of her. "She's beautiful..." He said, dazed.

"Yeah, I admit she's pretty cute." Said Nicholas, laying his hand softly on the glass. "We only keep her in here for two reasons. To preserve her and because she's too much of a distraction."

"I can see what you mean." Vik muttered under his breath.

"Pardon?"

"N-nothing!" He said, cleansing his mind of impure thoughts. "Is she...dea..." Vik couldn't make himself finish the sentence.

"No." The captain said to Vik's relief, "In fact, She hasn't even been born yet."

Vik's mind snapped back into focus and he tore his gaze from the beauty to the captain. "Not born yet? What do you mean?"

"Just look at her stomach."

Vik's eyes slowly inched downwards, making sure they don't stray too far south. When he got just the right view he saw it: an Umbilical Cord running from the inside surface of the sphere was still connected to her naval. "What happened to her?" He asked breathlessly.

"We're not entirely sure." Said Nicholas, reaching back to scratch his head. "My guess is that she was born this way. We found her about 15 years ago near the ruins of the old capital's palace. She was just a human fetus at the time, suspended in a sphere no bigger than a marble. When we brought her in to study, we found she was still alive. And growing. After a period of nine months, she had developed into a healthy baby. We have no idea how she stays alive without the required nutrients, but she manages. And what's even stranger is that the container seems to grow with her."

"But she's...human. How is she an alternative powersource?"

Nicholas shook his head slowly as he brought the lid back down. "She's not human. Not completely, at least. She may not look so special but believe me, she is. You see, when we were studying her, we recorded large amounts of magical energies. They come in random surges but they match the energy we found in the gun-barrel of Ultima."

"So what are you trying to say? Is she a totema, too?"

"We're unsure of their relation, but we do have a few theories. She could be the totema's spirit reincarnated. Or maybe its 'daughter'. But if you ask me, I think she's-" Captain Nicholas's theory was cut off when a large bell suddenly went off. Chemically-treated fluorescent lights in the ceiling started blinking on and off, bathing the room in a soft blue light.

Vik looked around, torn between feelings of panic and confusion. "What's going on? Is there fire or something?"

Nick stared at the flashing blue lights as if it were the face of death. "No...it's a level 4...the monsters have escaped!"

---

The monsters proceeded down the hallway, pushing past tourists and security whenever present. The flans led the way, followed by the lamias, the dragons, and finally the bombs. Seated on the back of an Icedrake was the dark-clad Nu Mou. While crowds of people ran from the starving horde, the few unlucky enough to fall behind were inevitably trampled. Guards fired several rounds of bullets but they barely ever made it past the front row. What they did hit, the flans, were not hurt at all. The bullets bounced harmlessly off the beast's gelatinous skin, succeeding only at annoying them. "She's close..." The Nu Mou mumbled as the Jellies swallowed up the guards who 'stood their ground', "I can smell her. That way!" A Icedrake pushed to the front of the line, kicked down a door the Nu Mou was pointing at and the horde proceeded down a white-washed hallway.

---

Nicholas threw open the doors of a display case and removed a katana with a four foot blade. "Grab whatever you can find that resembles a weapon." He said to Vik as he shut the cabinet doors. Before the glass doors could fully close, a small handgun caught Vik's eye. It was bright blue with a wooden handle and a golden vine design on the barrel. _"Why didn't he take it?"_ He thought as he dug around for something to defend himself with. His best option was a worn out sledgehammer he found buried under a pile of wood planks and sheet metal. Taking a deep breath, he picked up the hammer and joined Captain Nicholas by the the door. "So...what makes you so...sure those things are...coming here?" Vik's voice was a bit strained from the weight of the hammer.

"I'm not." Nick growled, "It's just a feeling. But going with my gut got me where I am today so I must be doing _something_ right." There was a sudden thump on the door and a huge dent appeared in the middle. "See, I'm never wrong." He pushed the blade out with his thumb and threw back the sheath. This isn't going to be easy but whatever happens, don't let them near the safe."

Another dent appeared on the heavy metal doors. Vik gulped loudly and raised the hammer to his shoulder. _"I bet you wish you stayed with the group."_ His brain nagged. "No way!" he whispered back, "Besides, who said the monsters didn't get to them already?" A third thump was heard, this time the doors split open. Ten clawed fingers shoved themselves between the rift and forced the doors open, crushing them like tin cans. Smaller monsters hurried through them as impatient flans attacked the surrounding wall outside, weakening the edges with fire and acid until it crumbled onto the ground.

The monsters wasted no time with senseless pushing and quickly piled into the room, encircling Vik and Nicholas within seconds. They had the upperhand, outnumbering the two humans a hundredfold. But surrounding them was as far as they went. There was the occasional growl and hiss, but not one of them made the first move. "Why aren't they attacking?" Vik whispered.

"Because they're awaiting orders." The captain stared straight at the doors, watching the last of the monsters pour in. Many now were shaking with anticipation, drooling over the sight of fresh meat. "When I give the signal, you take the ones on the right. I'll take the left."

"That's not much of a strategy." Said an unknown voice. The two of them looked up and saw a Nu Mou wrapped in a black cloak. He arrived last, along with the Icedrake he was riding on. "But even if you had one, the odds are still against you."

Nicholas glared at the stranger. "I'm guessing you're the one behind this."

"Brilliant deduction!" The Nu Mou exclaimed indifferently. From beneath his hood, he smiled with yellow teeth. "Oh, where are my manners. I haven't introduced myself yet!" He lowered his hood. He looked like what a normal Nu Mou would look like; short, chubby, and resembling a mule. His long, floppy ears were tossed behind his shoulders and were held in place by some heavy earrings. His most distinctive feature was that he was missing his right eye. In its place was a glass sphere with a shard of ruby pressed into the middle of it, so it resembled a cat's eye. "I am Amphion the beastmaster. I'd love to stay and chat but I have business. So if you would please..."

"You will come no closer!" Snarled Nicholas, raising the sword to a battle stance.

"Why must you _heroes_ always insist on doing it the hard way." Amphion said with a hint of sarcasm. "Look around you at the opposing odds. If you were to step aside, I would gladly overlook you. Provoke me and I'll crush your skull. Either way, I get what I came for but one option allows you to keep your life. Which sounds like a better deal?"

Feeling that words were too valuable to waste on the Nu Mou, Nick responded to the question with body language. He glared at him through the corner of his eye and spat. Then he sliced the head off a Lamia. Amphion sighed. "Oh well, kill them." And with a snap of his fingers, the beasts leapt forward.

"Now!" The captain shouted. He dashed forward and slashed a wyrm in mid-jump. Having no prior battle experience, Vik just swung the hammer blindly. He managed to strike a bomb in the side, sending it reeling backwards. "Hey, that wasn't so hard..." Spoken too soon, unfortuneately. He tried to lift it back up to strike again but when he did, the hammer's head broke right off the stick and flew backwards. The monsters watched dumbfounded as the heavy piece of metal struck Captain Nicholas right in the back of the head, knocking him out.

The whole room was silent as the creatures began to realize what happened. Amphion was first, bursting into laughter a full minute before the others. "You're hopeless!" He said to him weakly before turning to the monsters. "Finish him quickly."

"Oh, shit..." Vik said, as the monsters now turned their attention to him. "_No wonder this thing was in the trash pile._" He thought, raising the wooden stick defensively. "Stay back! You've all seen what I can do..." The words seemed more encouraging than intimidating but minds don't always work well under stress. The monsters began to advance on Vik when one of the flan's cheeks swelled. It drew it's head back and sent a glob of yellow slime at Vik. It caught him right in the face, knocking him off his feet. A Wyrm approached to finish him off but the sound of a bell made him stop. "Don't waste your time on him! He's obviously of no threat to us." Shouted the Nu Mou, "Start searching this place. I know it's here somewhere."

The monsters quickly disbanded and started tearing the inside of the hanger apart. When Vik realized he wasn't trampled or disemboweled, he opened his eyes and pulled himself up. He wiped away the remains of the yellow slime from his eyes and scanned the room. He looked past the upturned boxes and the fallen bookshelves to a certain corner of the room. There, standing in front of the cube that held "the alternative", was Amphion.

"Tear it open." ordered the beastmaster. The icedrake grunted and walked up to the cube.

"No!" In a flash, Vik was across the room, clinging onto the dragon's arm.

"Such an annoying persistence." The Nu Mou muttered. He snapped his fingers at the Icedrake. It responded immediately, grabbing Vik around the waist with his free hand and throwing him across the room, sending him right into the display case. He smashed into the front legs, causing the case to tip over onto his back. Shards of glass rained down over Vik's head along with the case's respective items. "Now that that's taken care of, go back to what you were doing." The Wyrm grunted and tore the top right off the cube, rendering years of programming and designing it a waste of time and effort. "Ah, there she is..." Amphion said, running his hands along the glass. "The master will be quite pleased. Now hurry up and bring it along." The dragon nodded and hoisted the sphere onto his back. The Nu Mou whistled for the other monster's attention. "We got what we came for. Let's go." The monsters stopped whatever they were doing and joined Amphion in the center of the hanger.

"Stop right there!" Came a voice from behind. Growling, Amphion turned around and found it was, as expected, Vik. His entire body was covered in scrapes and bruises. Shards of broken glass were sticking out of his back and shoulders. In his hand, he held the antique handgun he saw in the display case earlier, angling it to eye level. "You just don't know when to quit, don't you?" The beastmaster said, raising the glass bell.

"I said don't move!" Shouted Vik, pulling back the gun's hammer (I think it's called cocking but the word rubs me the wrong way shudder).

"Just what do you think you're doing? That's a moogle gun! You shouldn't even be able to hold it, much less fire it."

Vik had no idea what the Nu Mou was talking about. The gun fit his hands perfectly. At least, it fit the way a normal handgun would. The gun was steady and his grip was fine, he had no idea why couldn't fire it. However, the beastmaster chose to ignore Vik's warning as he began to ring the bell. "Stop it now!" Vik yelled, his hand shaking with rage. But he didn't stop. His hand continued to ring the bell as his other hand position itself to snap. The monsters turned to face the gun-weilding human and snarled. "I told you to stop!" He felt his index finger tighten around the trigger, pulling it all the way back. _Click_

It all happened so fast. The hammer swung forward, striking the back of the shell. The resulting kinetic energy ignited the gun-powder, sending the 45 gram bullet spiraling through the barrel. Vik had fired it alright--too bad he had a lousy shot. His intentional aim was between the Icewyrm's eyes. The bullet's actual course was a few inches off, heading straight for the glass sphere. To Vik and Amphion, it was all happening in slow-motion. As the bullet made contact, it managed to drill in about a quarter of a centimeter before all hell broke loose. The sphere exploded, sending a wave of glass and holy light at the unprepared the monsters, hitting them like a train at 50 miles per hour. Amphion was pushed onto the ground, roaring in pain alongside the doomed monsters. Twenty feet from the destruction, Vik was well out of harms way but he shielded his eyes from the blinding glare.

It lasted only a few seconds and left almost as quickly as it came. As Vik's vision began to clear up and the room came into focus, he was awestruck by the result of the blast. Knocked out monster relics were scattered on the ground. Evidence that the sphere was ever there could not be found, along witht the Nu Mou and the Icedrake. The cries of pain he heard earlier led Vik to believe the two had completely disintegrated. "Captain Acheron?" He called out. "Are you alright?"

"Who are you calling to?" Asked the flan corpse next to him. Vik jumped back in surprise, pointing the unloaded gun to the seemingly lifeless blob. But as he looked closer, he saw a foot-tall figure trying to wiggle its way out. The flan's mouth fell open and a sticky, disgruntled moogle pulled himself out. "Kili!" Vik exclaimed, dropping the gun immediately. "How did you get here?"

"That giant pudding cup swallowed me." The moogle said, peeling away bits of slime from his bleached uniform. "Good thing jelly boy doesn't like to chew. So who were you calling out to, kupo?"

"Captain Nicholas. Can you help me look for him?"

"Does he have red hair and a snake tattoo?"

"Yes. How'd you know that?"

"He's over there." Kili pointed at a small pile of bombshells. Captain Nicholas laid half buried under it. Vik and Kili quickly rushed over to it and pulled him out. After about five minutes of prodding and kicking, he began to come through.

"Ow...what happened?" The captain said as his eyes adjusted to the light. "I remember something striking me in the back of the head and everything else is a blank."

"One of the monsters did it!" Vik said quickly. The captain suddenly remembered the situation and sat up.

"The monsters! I remember now! Where are they? Were we captured?" He caught sight of the scenery of the hanger and his jaw fell open. "What the hell happened?"

Vik seemed to cringe at the question. "Well...you see" He said weakly, "I sort of...shot the alternative."

"YOU DID WHAT!" Captain Nicholas shot to his feet and scanned the room. "The girl. Where is she?"

A soft moan was heard and all three of them turned their attention to its direction. Kneeling in the center of the room, just a few feet from Vik and Kili was a raven-haired girl; the _exact_ same girl Vik saw in the sphere. She was shivering, still wet from whatever she was suspended in earlier. The only thing different about her now was she had no Umbilical Cord, most likely having been dissolved during the blast. In place of it, a clean belly button was visible. However, they weren't staring at the bellybutton.

---

The girl gazed around the room, confused. Without a second of effort, her mind began churning out questions in a language that was all too familiar to her. 'What am I doing here?', 'Where am I?'; all were good questions but as they reached out for answers, they found nothing. The girl's gaze suddenly locked onto the three men; men who were staring at something. She followed their eyes back to her own body and found herself completely nude. Acting on pure instincts, her embarrassment quickly turned to rage for she took hold of a large metal wrench on the floor and hurled it in their direction. It struck the moogle right in the forehead. "What the hell do you think you're looking at!" She shouted, one arm trying to conceal herself while the other brandished a broken PVC pipe.

"Kuuupoooo!" Groaned Kili, rubbing his forehead. Vik immediately covered his eyes and turned away, hoping not to get hit. Only Nicholas did what any sensible gentleman would do. He offered the lady his jacket.

---

"This is bad." Said the captain. Him, Vik, and Kili were sitting around a coffee table in his office after receiving proper medical treatment. Vik had to withstand the pain of removing 16 glass shards of various sizes from his back. Kili was given a chemical bath to wash off any digestive acids. Both their uniforms have been burned for exposure to unknown substances (the slime). They were both wearing company jogging suits. Luckily, Nicholas was dismissed with only a mild concussion and was wearing the same clothes minus the jacket. He held an ice pack against a bump the size of an egg on his head. The girl sat outside in the waiting room with a blanket around her. Captain Nick's jacket was about 3 sizes bigger than her, so it did well in covering her.

"How bad can it be?" Kili asked brightlyi.

"Are you kidding? Over 100 monsters were just busted out of their cages and are now running around freely. The public is not going to take this well and I'm not even going to think how the palace would react."

"But we defeated them all. And then those men in white suits came in and cleared them out."

"We counted the corpses. There were only 38 of them. That means 136 of them escaped."

"At least they didn't get what they came for." Vik said, jerking his head in the direction of the waiting room. "Who were they anyways?"

"I'm not so sure myself." Said Nicholas, lowering the ice pack. "I'll stop by the pub tonight to see if there are any rumors about them. But right now, we've got a bigger problem to worry about."

Kili and Vik nodded in agreement. "So what do we do with her?" Asked the moogle. "I'm guessing we can't keep her here. Those black-hoods are bound to come back for her, kupo."

"They're not what I'm worried about." The captain said, "After today's events, this place is going to be the main target of the media. Not only will there be nonstop news coverage, government agents are going to run daily checks on this place. If the girl stays here, she **will** be found."

Vik gave Nicholas a look of confusion. "I thought you _were_ the government."

"It's true that we work for them but we were given the option to keep projects secret as long as they pose no real threat. Now that we can see what she can do, there's no way we can keep her here."

"So should we kill her, kupo?" The captain and Vik both turned to the moogle, glaring at him for his comment. "I was only kidding." Kili said immediately.

"Just forget it." The captain said sternly. "We'll have to find some place for her to stay until the heat dies down around here. By that time, we would have straightened everything out and have proper lodgings set up for her. But it might take a few months."

What Vik said next went against all of his common knowledge. "I can take her to my house if you want." He blurted out.

"Thanks! I knew I could count on you buddy!" The captain said almost immediately. And before Vik could change his mind, he dashed out of the room and went to talk to the girl.

The realization of what just happened hit Vik like a train. He was set up! That sly bastard of a captain manipulated him with every word! Vik would have strangled him if Kili hadn't held him back. "Kupo! You owe him one for hitting him in the back of the head with the sledgehammer."

"How did you know about that?"

"I got a front row seat for it while I was trapped in the flan."

Vik flopped back down on the sofa and sighed. He knew he was in the captain's debt but he was still ticked off.

"Hey, look at the bright side, kupo." Said Kili, clapping his hand on Vik's shoulder. "You get to spend every night for a month with an extremely hot girl!"

The office door swung open and Nicholas marched inside. "Ok. I had a little chat with her and she agreed to follow you home. Now you better get back to the entrance. The building will be out of lockdown in a few minutes and I have a feeling your class wouldn't want to hang around much longer. Just turn left at the end of the hallway and continue to go straight."

Vik and Kili nodded before walking out of the room. "If you have any questions or problems, you can visit me any time!" He called after the two teens. When the door closed behind them, Nicholas caught sight of something on the table. It was the antique handgun Vik was holding earlier. "He shot the alternative..." The captain repeated as he lifted up the gun and tried to aim it. It didn't work at all. Since it was designed for moogles, the trigger was too close to the handle. No matter which way Nick tried to hold it, the barrel always pointed in a downwards angle. Even if his fingers could reach the trigger, discharging it would have caused the gun to fly right out of his hands since he couldn't grip it correctly. "He's a strange one alright." He said, laying the gun back on the table. "I sense big things in store for him." His hand reached back and touched the bump on his head. "Let's just hope he doesn't kill anybody when they come around."

---

The waiting room was about seven doors down from the captain's office. The girl was sitting on a squashy yellow bench, swinging her legs impatiently. "Are you Vik?" She asked as the two teens entered. The human male nodded. "And Kili?" The moogle did the same.

After a moment of silence, Vik finally spoke up. "I'm guessing Captain Nicholas already had a talk with you?" The girl nodded. "What exactly did he tell you."

The girl scowled as if Vik had asked her something personal. "He said that you would be my new guardian and would accompany me everywhere. He told me I had to stay with you until he could figure out what to do with me. Kind of sounds like what you'd do with an abandoned puppy..."

Vik was a bit surprised. For someone who had never experienced the world first hand, the girl spoke their language fluently with mature vocabulary. "So what are you going to do."

The girl let out a sigh of defeat. She was totally against following a complete stranger home, but she really had no other choice. "I guess I'll have to do what he says. He made it seem like I would be unsafe here at the time being and since I have no idea where I am, I don't have any other place to go."

"Really? No friends or family members?" It was a stupid question, since he knew she had been living in a glass bubble for all of her life.

The girl shook her head. "None that I know of."

Kili motioned for Vik to come into whisper range. "You think it's amnesia?"

"Maybe. I didn't think she had anything to forget but she _does_ know enough to speak." They both looked back up at the bench and found it empty. "Hey! Where'd she..."

"Over here." A voice spoke from behind them. The two of them wheeled around and found her pushing her hands against the door. "So do any of you know how to use this thing?"

Vik and Kili shared a frustrated glance. "You have to turn the handle, kupo."

"Oh..." The girl complied, throwing the door open and immediately ducking her head into it to hide her blush. "So are you coming or what?"

Knowing that the girl would most likely get lost when aloud out by herself, the two reluctantly followed her down the hall. They walked behind her; one: so they could make sure she didn't run away and two: because whenever they got a step closer, she ran ahead two more. "By the way, do you at least have a name?" Kili asked as they turned the corner. "We can't keep calling you 'girl' all the time."

The girl only shrugged. "I don't have a name so call me whatever you want."

"You're walking too fast, Whateveryouw-OW!" Vik stomped on his foot before he could complete the bad joke.

"How about 'Saria'?" Vik asked, saying the first name that popped up in his head. As the words left his mouth, the girl suddenly stopped dead in her tracks. Vik and Kili looked at her questionably. "Is something wrong?"

There was something strange about that name. To Saria, it seemed almost familiar. Like a lullaby someone whispered in her ear every night when she slept. "No, I'm alright." She said finally. "You can call me that if you want. I'm not going to stop you." She started walking again, this time faster.

"Where did you get that name, kupo?" Kili asked as he and Vik ran to keep up with Saria.

"I..." Vik paused to think about the situation. He really couldn't explain where he heard the name. Kili wasn't going to believe that he heard it in a dream. Even Vik didn't believe that. "...don't know." He said truthfully.


	5. How to spend your afternoon

**How to spend your afternoon...**

About ten minutes later, Vik was standing outside, waiting to board the bus. Due to certain events, the class's field trip had been cut short. Vik and Kili had barely made it to the entrance before the bus left. Between them stood the raven haired girl, recently dubbed Saria by result of Vik's subconscious imagination. "We're not going to get away with this, kupo." Mumbled Kili as they inched towards the door.

"Of course we are! Ms. Matteya is so clueless, we could have smuggled half of the monsters in that building onto the bus without her noticing."

"Oh, she'll notice, all right. A half-naked girl is pretty hard to miss." The last of the students boarded the bus. It was their turn now. Gulping loudly, they casually approached the door.

"Hold it you two!" Shouted the teacher, her voice unusually stern. She lowered herself Vik in the eye. "Where are your uniforms?"

A wave of relief washed over Vik. This was only temporary, however. "They um..."

"Got dirty, kupo!" Finished the moogle. "So we took them down to the airport laundromat and washed them. They gave us these jogging suits and said they'd mail our uniforms to us when they're done." Vik gave the moogle a hard look; his friend was no better at lying than he was. Luckily, Ms. Matteya seemed to buy it. With their alibis cleared, the teacher then turned to Saria. "And what's your story, missy?" She asked, looking at her distastefully from the oversized jacket to her shoe-less feet.

"She was with us, kupo!"

"Yeah. They didn't carry her size so they gave her the jacket." Yes, they were horrible lies, but what else could they have said? At least they were more believable than the truth.

"Just get on the bus." The teacher said, waving her hand in defeat. "And sit in the back. I don't want anyone to see _her_ in this state." She nodded her head at Saria. "I do hope you three didn't do anything funny. Our school's reputation was at stake." And without a single comment, the group quickly climbed into the bus.

"See. That wasn't so hard." Vik said as they hurried to the back of the bus. As they were the last ones on the bus, a few people turned and offered a few half-hearted glances, relieved that the bus could finally get going. Not one of them, however, noticed a new addition to their class. Only two seats were available in the back so Kili volunteered to sit in the front. "She's your responsibility." he said when Vik started to protest. "You shouldn't have volunteered to do a job if you couldn't commit." And with that, Kili turned around and walked back to the front while Vik flopped down in silent defeat in the back. "You might want to sit down." He said to the girl, motioning at the seat next to him.

"Why? I'm perfectly fine where I..." The bus suddenly backfired, throwing Saria flat on her face.

"That's why!" muttered Vik through gritted teeth, helping her up before anyone could see any-_thing _(remember, she's bottomless). She did attract a few stares, but since they weren't sure what they were looking for, they only saw what made the noise before turning back to whatever business they had. Saria quickly brushed herself off and stomped to her chair, blushing furiously. "I tried to warn her." Vik said to himself as he took the aisle seat.

---

The class had become rather irritated when they found out their trip had been cut short by over an hour. The Vieras sitting in front of Vik filled him in on the story. The class was just finishing up with the Goblin exhibit when the lights started flashing blue. Their tour guide then led them to a room with an iron door and told us to wait in there until it was safe to come out. "And did you guys see any monsters?" Vik asked when they finished their story without mentioning a rabid horde of Flans and Lamias.

The Vieras seemed rather annoyed with his question. "Of course we did. Where do you think we went? A post office?"

"I meant live monsters." It was at this time that the Vieras decided that Vik was just trying to annoy them. They gave him a look like he was crazy before returning to their gossiping. Vik fell back into his seat. "_They didn't see them._" He thought. _"They don't even know what was going on."_ After experiencing the most common reaction, as displayed by the two Vieras, Vik decided to keep his mouth shut about the events of today.

As for him and his charge, the two of them didn't talk much for most of the bus ride. The girl seemed caught up in something, staring intently out the window as if something unexpected was going to happen. Saria was obviously still mad about the incident in the hanger and Vik was still embarrassed about said event. After what seemed like eternity, Vik finally broke the silence. "Look," He began, "I'm really..._really_ sorry."

Without even turning arond, the girl lucidly replied, "For what?"

"About the whole...naked thing." He mumbled, turning his head to conceal his blush.

Saria turned around and snorted at Vik's pathetic reaction. "Don't worry. I'm over that."

A wave of relief washed over Vik as the words were spoken. Now free from his shame, he turned around to face her. The first thing he noticed were her eyes. He wasn't able to see them earlier because they were either closed or he was concentrating on something else. Now that there were no distractions, he saw his reflection in a pair of dull gray eyes. "So what's bothering you?" He said when he realized he was staring again; Saria either didn't notice or didn't care.

Breaking the trance, Saria shifted her gaze first back to the window and then to her feet. "Have you ever had a dream where everyone except you knew exactly what was going on? The kind where you're running around helplessly while they fail to see the madness around them?"

"Yeah." Vik replied, twitching slightly as repressed memories emerged from the subconscious abyss. To him, the eerie description was all too familiar; everyone has had one of those dreams at least once. "So that's how you're feeling right now?"

The girl nodded. Another round of silence followed, allowing Saria to gather up her thoughts. "Vik?"

"What?"

"Do I...know you from somewhere?"

"No. I'm sure this was our first meeting."

"So you don't know who I am?"

"Nope."

"Then how did you know my name?"

"What? I thought you didn't have one!" He said rather loudly. A few people gave him a few annoyed stares. After retuning his volume, he returned to the conversation. "I was only suggesting it. I don't know where it came from."

"Then why does it feel so...right?" She said, staring at her bare feet.

"Who knows. Maybe you heard it somewhere." Vik patted her comfortingly on the back. He could only imagine how hard it was to exist without a name or memories. "But don't worry. This will all make sense sooner or later."

Saria looked up at him, a weak smile was present on her lips. "Thank you."

---

The remainder of the bus ride was spent with Vik teaching Saria everything he could remember about modern life. Most of the things he told her she already knew. Other things created even more questions. They were only a few miles from the station when Vik realized he hadn't eaten lunch yet. Since they left so early, most of the class decided to go home for lunch as soon as the bus let them out. Vik was among the few who came prepared. He reached into his bag and removed a very messy turkey sandwich which he threw together at the last minute that morning. Remembering that he had company, he tore the sandwich in half and gave a piece to Saria. She accepted the concoction of bread and meat and stared at it curiously. "What's this for." She asked.

Vik slumped in frustration. This girl was really clueless. "It's a sandwich." He said, "You're supposed to eat it."

"...eat?" Saria said, tilting her head to the side. At this time, she was starting to attract a lot of attention from the students sitting in front and across from them.

"You know...eat..." He said in a soft whisper, trying to ignore the neighbor's confused glances. "Here. Let me show you." He took a large bite out of his own sandwich, chewed it, and swallowed. "Try it."

Cautiously, Saria took a small bite out of the corner of the sandwich and chewed slowly. Her eyes lit up and a cat-like smile spread across her lips. She quickly swallowed and took another, this time larger, bite. Within seconds, she had finished off her share and was licking the crumbs from her fingers. "Do you have any more?"

Having already finished his own sandwich, Vik shook his head. "But I think I have something else you might like." He reached back into his bag and pulled out two cans of Cola. He popped one open and handed it to her. "It's called soda." He said, popping open his own can and taking a small gulp. "Just swallow it. And be careful not to drink it too fast."

Despite Vik's horrible instructions, Saria got the idea. She took a small sip from the rim and swallowed it. Then, she did something for the first time that was completely unexpected. She started giggling. "The bubbles!" She managed to choke out, trying the best to keep her body from shaking. "They tickled my tongue!" If the bus plunged off a cliff that very moment, Vik would have died happy. Up until now, the girl had either been fuming or confused but had shown only a little of each. Her smile, however, was different. It seemed to fill the whole world with light. And he couldn't help but smile back.

---

After two hours of driving, though it seemed like much more longer, the bus finally pulled into the cemented driveway of the bus station. After doing a quick item check to make sure nothing was left on the bus, the students shoved their way through the center aisle to win a non-existent contest of not being the last off the bus. Having more important things to worry about, Vik decided to wait through the main rush and walked off when the aisle was clear. "Have a nice weekend!" Called Ms. Matteya as Vik and Saria stepped off the bus.

"You too..." He answered mindlessly. His brain was way too busy formulating an explanation for his parents. He was sure they wouldn't mind a little company for a few months but they definitely needed to hear a reason first. As the bus pulled away, Vik noticed Kili standing by the vending machines. "Wow...you sure took your sweet ol' time, kupo." Said the moogle as the two of them approached.

"Getting off first is pointless." Vik retaliated, "What's a few seconds of wait worth? A lot less then the risk of bruises and broken bones."

"Whatever, Kupo. So what are you going to do with her?" Kili nodded in Saria, who was admiring the size and shape of the central station.

"Well...I was kinda hoping you'd take her. At least until I can convince my parents to let her stay with us."

"Sorry, Kupo. No can do. I'm staying with at my dad's place tonight. And there's barely enough room there as it is, kupo." Kili's parents were divorced. His mom lived with his grandma in a two-story house while his dad lived in a small one-bedroomed apartment a few miles from town. When fighting over the right of childcare, they decided to split it. During weekdays, Kili would stay at his Mom's house so he'd be closer to school. On weekdays, he had to catch a bus to Newport Village to stay with his dad. It was a difficult lifestyle but Kili had gotten used to it. "Besides, your parents won't mind. Didn't you used to have a sister that shared a room with you?"

"You mean Jeanne? She moved out about a month ago."

"So you have room to spare." Kili plainly pointed out.

"Fine. I guess I'll take her to my house then." Vik said as his final attempt to worm his way out failed. "I'll work on an explanation on the way there."

"Wait! You weren't planning on taking her home like _that_ were you, kupo?" Vik gave him a curious look. "I meant her clothes, kupo! Look at her!"

Vik finally took the time to look Saria over. The only article of clothing she wore, the pilot jacket, was worn and dusty and her feet were black after walking around barefoot. Vik agreed that his parents would more likely agree to house a clean, well-dressed girl than a girl that looked like she was brought in from the streets. "Okay. So what do you propose we do?"

A tiny smile surfaced on Kili's face. "How much money do you have with you, kupo?"

---

"I can't believe you talked me into this." Vik said with an expression of pure horror. He and Kili were standing outside the dressing room in Madame Magnifique, a middle-class clothing store for women. Hundreds of racks were filled with shirts, blouses, tank-tops, pants, jeans, and one-pieces. There was a small section in the back for hats and shoes and a glass counter in the middle was filled with jewelry and perfume. Vik hated clothes shopping, but the fact that they came during a 30 off sale only added to his loathing. Swarms of women had passed through, quickly grabbing the article of clothing they have been watching all week and dashed into the line that could have encircled the whole store. Twice!

"Hey, don't think it isn't hard on me, kupo!" Kili replied, narrowly avoiding a stampede of female Bangaas. "Thank god I have to leave soon. I am NOT looking forward to standing in that line."

"What? You're leaving me alone in a store full of raving customers?"

"Sorry, Kupo. My bus will be here at 4. I can only stay for 15 more minutes, kupo. Hope you get out alive."

A loud cough was heard behind them. Initially, the two of them turned around to see who it was. Behind them stood Saria, now fully dressed in last year's fashions. "So...what do you think?" She said, twirling around so they could see her back. She was wearing a blue denim jacket over a white T-shirt and designer jeans. The clothes weren't as flashy as the ones displayed in the store windows, but tit was a step up from what she was originally wearing.

"You look great, Kupo!" said Kili truthfully. "It's definitely an improvement."

Vik nodded in agreement. She looked almost normal now. After checking the price tags and pooling their money together, they had just enough money left to buy a pair of sandals. As they stood in line to make there purchase, Kili announced he had to leave. "I'll pay you back on Monday!" Vik called after him.

"Don't bother!" Shouted Kili to him from the door. "Consider it a gift." And before he knew it, the moogle was gone, leaving him to fend off bargain crazy customers by himself.

---

It was nearly nightfall when Vik and Saria finally got out of the line. Vik usually came home this late on Fridays so his parents probably weren't worried. As they walked homeward, Vik filled her in on a few house rules. "You do know how to use a bathroom, right?" He asked timidly. The last thing he was looking forward to was potty training.

Saria gave him an annoyed look. "Of course I do. I wasn't born yesterday, you know."

"No, you were born today." Mumbled Vik.

After about 10 minutes of walking, they found themselves outside the Fellcrest residence, a spacey, two-story house with a n attic and basement. Most of the first floor had been transformed into a medical clinic and office, with the exception of the kitchen way in the back. It was here where his parents did their daily work. Vik's mom was a pediatrician and acupuncturist and his dad was an amateur surgeon and physician. Each day they opened the doors and treated patients with injuries and illnesses. The bedrooms, living room, and library were all upstairs and the basement was used mostly for storage. "Wait out here." Vik commanded, "I'll tell you when it's okay to come in."

There were only 1 customer left in the waiting room when Vik entered the front door. Vik knew him as Mr. Goldman. He usually came by every week to pick up his cough medicine. As soon as he left, Vik would be able to talk to his parents in private. A door in the hallway opened and Vik's mom stepped out. She was a rather short, plump woman in her mid-fifties with short brown hair curled up in two buns. She wore a regulation nursing outfit, complete with white dress and three-cornered hat, and was carrying a paper bag. She walked right up to the man in the waiting room. "Here you go, Mr. Goldman. Hope you get well soon!" The man wordlessly thanked her and walked past Vik to exit the clinic.

"Hey mom." Vik said as soon as the door closed behind him. His mom turned around and gave Vik a warm smile.

"Welcome home Vik." She said as she walked over to the front desk to retrieve a watering can. "You made it home just in time. Dinner will be ready soon."

Vik listened carefully to every word, waiting for the best moment to spring the question. "Great. Is dad home?"

"No, he got a house call. He won't be back for another hour." As she walked over to water the plants in the window, she noticed a young girl standing on their doorstep. "Is that a friend of yours?" She asked, pointing through the glass and directly at Saria.

"Um...sorta." Vik racked his brain for an explanation and selected the best one. "She's an exchange student."

"An exchange student?" Mrs. Fellcrest took a closer look at the girl. She certainly didn't _look_ foreign. "From what country?"

Unfortunately, that was the extent of Vik's imagination. "I...um, can't pronounce it." He lied quickly.

"She's cute." She said as she returned to watering her plants, compressing her overwhelming smile. "Did the school assign her to you or did you volunteer to bring her home?"

"Um...I volunteered." Vik said, blushing a little. Hey, it was the truth at least.

"Well, we can't leave her standing out in the cold. Invite her in." Of course, 'out in the cold' was just an expression, given the fact that it was well over 70 degrees outside but it was widely known as a surefire statement of acceptance.

"So you're okay with it?" Vik asked eagerly. This was working better than he expected.

Mrs. Fellcrest set the can down by the corner. "Of course I'm okay with it. I can't turn down anyone who took the time to turn up at our doorstep. Besides, things just haven't been the same since your sister left. Having another girl in the house would be good for all of us."

---

While his mom was having a nice conversation with Saria as the two of them made dinner, Vik rushed upstairs to clean his room. For most of his life, Vik tried to keep his room as messy as possible to maintain a 'comfortable environment'. Needless to say, it was in no better condition right now. Vik used to share a room with his sister, but ever since she left, her bed became his makeshift clothes pile. All his laundry, both dirty and clean, shirts and socks alike, found their new home on the old mattress. Books, Manga, and Magazines were spread across the floor. Last month's issue of "Inside Ivalice" hung limply off an old TV set. A half-eaten chocolate bar laid next to a dented alarm clock, which he had thrown across the room when it refused to snooze. Yes, to Vik, his room was a haven. To others, it was a danger zone. And he was sure Saria would be grouped with 'the others'. But even as he cleaned, he managed to keep his reputation as the messiest person alive. He ran around the room, grabbing every bit of reading material and shoving it under his bed. He then gathered up all his clothes and threw them into his own closet, being sure not to mess up the 'order'. As he struggled to close the closet door, his eyes wantered to the left to his sister's closet. His dad had built them separate closets so Jeanne, who usually wore boys clothes, wouldn't get her things mixed with Vik's. Everything in her space was clean, well kept, and even color coded. Even dust refused to touch her side of the room while she was living here. To make a long story short, she was a neat freak and Vik was happy to have the room to himself. All he had to do now was straighten the bed covers and throw away empty wrappers and rotting banana peels.

The room was as clean as ever now and Vik stepped back to admire his work. There were still a few lumps in the blankets and the trash can was overflowing but everything else seemed neat and tidy. The ring of a tiny brass bell signaled the opening of the front door. The voice of his mother shortly followed. "Vik!" she called, "Your father's home! Time for dinner!"

Despite everything his relatives said, Vik looked nothing like his father. To start things off, Dr. Fellcrest had natural green hair, a gene passed down from his Viera mother while Vik's hair was a dark brown. Another difference were their eyes. Vik's father had green eyes, matching the color of his hair, and wore glasses. Vik on the other hand had amber eyes and needed no corrective lenses. He had a long list of things in his mind but it didn't change his opinion on his dad. He was a powerful man, though he was losing a battle against time. Streaks of gray were visible on his balding scalp and new wrinkles seemed to appear every day but even so, his dad was as energetic as ever.

By the time Vik reached the kitchen, Dr. Fellcrest had already gotten acquainted with the new foreign exchange student. He quietly took a seat at the end of the table and tried to join in on their conversation. Vik usually had no idea what his dad was saying and he was sure he could say the same for Saria. She was doing the exact same thing he was doing, smiling and nodding. They continued to do this for a few more minutes until Mrs. Fellcrest brought in the night's main course, Meat Loaf. "Now, my dears..." She said when she spied both men looking wolfishly at the dish. "The guest gets the first serving." And with that, she cut off an extra large piece and laid it on Saria's plate.

"_Oh no."_ Vik thought when he remembered he had forgotten to talk to Saria about manners. _"I haven't taught her how to use a knife and fork! If she eats it anything like the way she ate that sandwich..."_ Vik didn't even want to think about his parent's expressions, much less their reactions. To his surprise, Saria was holding the utensils perfectly and had already cut her portion of the loaf into tiny cubes, which she lifted gingerly to her mouth one by one. "Impressive." Said Dr. Fellcrest as he helped himself to some mashed potatoes. "Watch her closely, Vik. There might be a few things she can teach you."

Vik grumbled. And that was the most he said during the entire dinner.

---

"That was amazing." Vik said. Dinner had been over for almost an hour and he and Saria had retired to his, now their, bedroom.

"It was nothing." She said, shaking her head lightly. "I'm usually used to eating with forks of 5 different sizes."

That was a rather peculiar thing to say. As far as Vik knew, this was the first time she ate at a table. When he pointed this out, Saria only shrugged. "This is impossible." Vik said, flopping down on his bed. "How can you know how to do things like eat with forks and talk elegantly but not remember ever learning them?" Something told Vik that Saria had shrugged again, even though he didn't see it.

"Whatever, let's just go to sleep." He reached over to his bedside table and switched off the lamp. The second he did so, he heard a high pitched scream. He fumbled to find the switch again and quickly turned the lamp back on. "What is it? A spider? A rat?"

The girl was in tears, which was also new to Vik's view on Saria. Acting immediately, Vik went over to her bed and put a hand lightly on her shoulder. "There, there. Don't cry. What's wrong?"

Saria suddenly threw both her around Vik and hugged him tightly. Vik, not knowing what exactly was happening, nervously patted her on the back. "It was so dark!" She sobbed. "I couldn't breathe or see anything. I thought I had disappeared..."

Vik had to resist the temptation to roll his eyes. This girl was afraid of the dark! Then again, he couldn't blame her. There were times even he was a bit uneasy in the absence of light. Dr. Fellcrest's face appeared in the doorway. "Is everything alright? I heard screaming."

"Don't worry, dad. I've got it covered." Vik managed to gasp out--Saria's grip on him was starting to affect his breathing.

As soon as his dad left the room, Saria drew back from her hug of death. "I'm sorry!" She said immediately. "I don't know what came over me. It's just..."

"Save it." Vik interrupted. He reached under his bed and fished out an old night-light. He plugged it into the wall and snapped it on. When he reached back to switch off the lamp, the area between the beds was filled with a soft, orange light. "There. You happy now?"

Across the gap, Vik managed to catch a glimpse of another smile. "Yes. It's perfect."

A/N: The original plan was to use this chapter to give a little background on our character's families. Although this was achieved, it somehow turned into a cheesy romantic comedy. Believe me when I say I'm probably the last guy who would write a romance. But something possessed me to write this chapter and I've gotta say this isn't half bad. Besides, what's a story without a little bit of love?

Also, I would like to apologize for the way I displayed women as deal-snatching hunters. I may have exaggerated it just a little bit but things do get hectic during sales.

**And please review. Just a few words mean a lot to an author.**


	6. Treason and Forgery

A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the reviews. And to Hazard 13, I haven't read any fanfic that's anything like mine. This story was inspired by a daydream I had which I decided to continue with words. If my artwork gets any better, I might try making it into a comic but it doesn't look like I'll be doing that any time soon.

Disclaimer: I own nothing.

Treason and Forgery

The streets of the old capital was an unholy ghost town. Since the great monster rebellion 15 years ago, the palace and its people abandoned the town and established a new capital several miles north. The new capital took seven years to build, but it soon matched the original Bervenia in its grandeur. Nobody, not even elite judges, dared to step foot in the old capital. Without a soul to care for it, Bervenia had become a lawless Jagd.

The sight of the city brought back only painful memories. The government had fenced off a large portion of the land, leaving only a few places open for brave adventurists and eager tourists. Not much of either group showed up very often and even the sun refused to shine in the fenced out areas. But for the Neo-Zaora Sect, it was the place they called home.

The Neo-Zaorans were a group of radicals bent on returning the world to its original ways. They hated modern society and wished to return the world to place where crime and corruption took place every day. And after today's events, they were on the very top of Ivalice's most wanted list.

---

Seated on a toppled wall of the old palace was a black cloaked Viera. Her steely fingers were still stained with Bangaa blood from earlier. Her hood was pulled back, revealing long purple hair that was tied back in a pony tail. A pair of gold earrings clung tightly to her rabbit ears. A pair of emerald-green eyes watched the horizon as the golden sun slowly sank into the western sea.

A loud cough was heard behind her and she slowly turned a weary gaze to the person who spoke. There, standing at what used to be a doorway, was a figure constructed entirely of shadows. It had a bald head with glowing, yellow eyes. A pair of skinny arms with long fingers protruded from its broad shoulders. It had no feet, but the shadows formed a kind of cloak around his bony structure. It was unknown how he got this way, but his accent suggested he was probably a bangaa in his former life. "What are you doing out ssso late, Marion?" He hissed, a forked tongue protruding out of his invisible lips.

"Nothing, Sharu. Just waiting for Amphion." She responded. "How are the new recruits."

She was obviously talking about the monsters. "I ssset them loose in the sewersss. They'll be feasting on ratsss tonight." He answered, walking up next to the Viera. "You haven't seen the evening newsss, have you?"

"No. Why?"

"Come with me, I'll show you!" He jumped right into the air and twisted himself into a swirling vortex. Static began to fill the air around it as a sudden wind picked up, beckoning Marion to enter. The Viera waited a few seconds for the air to calm down before stepping into the portal. She emerged in what appeared to be a church altar. Behind her, the thin shadowmancer pulled himself out of the swirling gales and walked up next to her. "No matter how many times you do that, it still creeps me out." Said the Viera.

"Hey, how do you think it feelsss to have over a hundred poundsss of bone, muscle, and ssskin walk right through you?"

"I don't care. Just what did you want to show me?"

"Thissss..." hissed Sharu, striding over to an old fashioned tube-based television. It had a three inch screen but stood four feet high. He cranked up the power and set the receiver to channel 5. A fuzzy, black-and-white picture showed up on the screen. It showed a young and attractive reporter standing outside of a large building. Sharu turned up the volume so the Viera could hear.

"I'm standing here, outside of the Bagabu city airport, where a monster breakout took place approximately 9 hours ago. The escape took place in an eastern division of the Monster Holding Facility. Over a hundred and seventy monsters were freed. It took authorities over an hour to reach the scene of the crime. Witnesses claim they saw a Nu Mou accompanying the monsters, leading police to believe he was the one behind this. They are circulating a detailed sketch of the assailant, but are unsure of his motives."

A picture of Amphion showed up on screen. Marion giggled when she saw the rendition. "They got his nose wrong!" She said. "I don't know what you're worried about. We should be celebrating."

"Keep listening..."

"What has police baffled was what they found after the attack." Continued the news reporter, "During an organized search of the perimeter, authorities found almost forty knocked out monster corpses scattered on the floor. The head of this sector, Nick Acheron, refused to release any details about what happened. He assures us, however, that they did not get what they came for."

Marion's mouth fell open when the screen displayed the scene at the hanger. "What happened there? What happened to Amphi?"

"He experienced first hand the power of Enclair." Said a scratchy voice from the door. Marion and Sharu immediately turned around, recognizing the tone. Standing about a couple yards away from them was their leader, Neo Zaora himself. He was over 7 feet tall with messy white hair and sunken eye-sockets. He wore a simple white gown, similar to ones worn by priests. His old, withered hands held a ancient tome, scarred by age. Piercing blue eyes stared out through a thick pair of golden spectacles on his nose. The two of them promptly bowed down before him.

When the man beckoned them to stand, Sharu spoke up. "My lord," he began, "You should not be out of bed!"

"You need not worry about me, Sharu." Said the man, taking a seat on a wooden bench. "Our father, the great Zaora, shall never let my health be threatened. He will deliver me strength, as he will to all of you. Besides, I cannot sleep now that _she's_ awake."

The shadowmancer's yellow eyes widened. "The Enclairion girl? Are you sure? How could this be?"

"I am sure. The disappearance of Amphion confirms my suspicions. The girl is indeed walking among us."

"So what should we do with her now?" Asked the Viera, lifting her head from the ground.

"She is useless to us now. In fact, she has become a threat."

"Then shall we kill her?"

"No. It will be interesting to see her develop. Chances are she won't even be able to control her talent." The old man lifted a hand to his chin, rubbing it thoughtfully. "But this event will only prolong our plans. We shall seek out the beast's original power source. It _wil_l rise from what was said to be its final resting place. And I _will _have immortality, so help me god!" His words rang throughout the streets of Bervenia, attracting loud cheers from his followers.

---

The air was calm and crisp on Saturday morning. The sun cracked early, a phrase which originated from times when people thought the sun was hatched every day by a celestial goose. It simply meant that a new day had arrived. Had this been a normal occasion, Vik would have slept in. However, this was not a normal occasion and Vik was downstairs in the kitchen making breakfast.

He cracked another egg into the frying pan and threw the shell into the trash can. He broke the yolk and waited a few seconds for the bottom to cook before flipping it over and adding cheese. When it finished coking, he folded it into a half circle and lifted it onto a plate. He then added a few celery sticks and and a few strips of bacon before placing it on a tray next to a glass of milk (cow milk, cows exist everywhere!). He made a few more eggs for his parents, if they decided to get up. They usually slept until noon on weekends, unless there was an emergency. He doubted they would wake up so he covered the food with a pan so it wouldn't get cold before carrying the tray back to his room.

The reason Vik was up so early was sitting by the window combing her hair. At the crack of dawn, Saria had woken him up by shaking him furiously. "Look!" She shouted excitedly, "It's not dark any more." The smile on her face made Vik forget the fact that he should have been mad, and Vik spent a few minutes explaining about the sun and the concept of night and day before going to take care of a few things, still wearing his pajamas.

As he entered the room, he noticed Saria was wearing one of his sister's old nightshirts. Earlier last night, he had invaded his sisters closet to see if there were any clothes that would fit Saria. Most of the clothes on hangers were pretty big, since his sister was about 5 years older than him, and Saria really didn't measure up to be above average size. As he dug deeper, he discovered a large pile of some of her high-school clothes along with a large cardboard box. It was wrapped in a thick, clear plastic and about three roles of duct tape. It contained every dress and skirt his sister had received since she was 10. Vik wasn't kidding when he said his sibling was a tomboy because most of the clothes he found in the box looked almost new. The clothes he found fit Saria perfectly.

Vik set the tray next to the window and Saria gave it a curious look. "What's this?" She asked, poking the eggs with a fork.

"It's a cheese omelette. The red stuff is called bacon and the green things are celery. The stuff in the glass is milk."

"Milk?"

"It comes from a cow's...um...you know, it's best not to think about it. Just drink it." The girl gave him a searching look, as if she thought he had poisoned it. After Vik assured her he hadn't, she took a small sip of it before starting on her breakfast.

A small knock came from the front door and Vik poked his head out of the window to see who it was. Standing a couple feet below him was a familiar teenage moogle boy. "Good morning, Kili!" he called to the moogle.

"Kupo! Open up!" His best friend shouted back. It wasn't like the doors were locked, Kili just couldn't reach the knob. He couldn't even reach the doorbell, so he had to knock. Vik quickly rushed downstairs and opened the door for his friend. He rarely got to see Kili on weekends, so his outfit struck him to be somewhat odd. He was wearing a black windbreaker zipped halfway up over a white pants and T-shirt. A black ski hat was pulled over his blond hair, pressing his long ears against the sides of his head. "Hey there, Vicky!" He said, marching into the room.

Vik flinched slightly when he heard the name, resisting the urge to stomp Kili into the ground. "Did you get everything I asked for?" He asked, leading the way to his room.

"I sure did, kupo!" The moogle removed a brown envelope from inside his jacket. "My dad works for social services so I was able to sneak a few forms out of his briefcase."

"You sure he won't mind?"

"He's drunk."

"Oh." The two of them reached the top of the stairs and headed down the hallway to Vik's room, where Saria was just finishing breakfast. "Oh! Good morning, Kili." She said when she noticed Vik had company.

"Kupo! You didn't tell me you were sleeping in the same room as her!" Kili elbowed Vik impishly, successfully attracting a kick in the back.

"Let's just do what we came here to do." He said, taking a seat on the floor. He motioned for Saria to join them.

Kili reached into the envelope and pulled out a stack of papers. "Did you find a valid birth certificate we could use?"

"Right here." He said, handing Kili a yellow sheet of paper. The moogle looked it over, making sure it was real.

"Um...according to this, she's only a day old. And she's got your last name, kupo!"

"Yup!" He said, throwing his arm around Saria's shoulder. "Meet my first uncle twice removed's second oldest daughter, Saria Fellcrest! We're cousins now!"

Kili sweat dropped. "You're never going to get away with this."

Frowning, Vik released Saria and yanked the certificate out of Kili's hands. "If I had 5 gil every time I heard you say that..."

---

The group spent a good part of two hours filling out false information. When the form asked for the parent's signatures, Vik and Kili got into an argument. "I'll be Franklin B. Fellcrest," Vik said, selecting a random name from his family tree, "And you'll be my wife Margaret."

"What! Why do I have to be the girl, Kupo?"

"Because it's my family tree and I have to sign for a Fellcrest. Besides, it's not like we're actually going to be married. All you got to do is sign for her. If you have a problem with it, let's flip a coin." They did. Kili lost. "Okay. Now sign it and let's get on to the schooling application." Grumbling, Kili forged a sloppy signature and pulled out the final form.

"Okay, let's see here...Name? Saria Fellcrest. Age? Let's just say 15. The school doesn't do background checks, anyways. Health records? Included..." Vik continued through the form, filling out every possible slot. "Now, all we need is the parent's salary and who's going to pay for it all."

Kili grinned mischievously. "Charge it to the captain." He said, "I did some research on him. He makes 150 thousand gil a year. He can put her through college if he wants to, kupo."

"Yeah. He'll be taking care of her for the long run anyways." Vik quickly filled the blank with Captain Nicholas's name and handed it to Kili.

"I'll make a copy of it and bring it over on Monday, kupo." He said, shoving the papers back into his jacket. "I have to go now. I gotta slip these into my dad's work pile before his hangover wears off. See ya at school!" He pretended to tip his hat before walking out of his room.

"I'm sorry if this sounds dumb," Said Saria as soon as the moogle left. "But what's school?" Vik nearly collapsed with aggravation.


	7. First Impressions Are Everything

**A/N:** Hi guys! Sorry for the late update. So to make up for everything, here's a double update! Wait, am I late? I'm kinda new to this whole fanfic thing if you haven't noticed already but I do read a good share of stories by other authors and trust me, they take a LOT longer to update. Take Feral Pheonix's "Shadowed Heart" (one of the awesomest fanfics I've EVER read) for example. It was a story that was deleted for some reason and has been recently been reposted. When I last checked, it had 22 chapters. If the chapters were already comepleted, how come it only has 10 right now? Any good author would save a copy of each chapter in case something happens later. My guess is that Feral's holding out for reviews, something that wouldn't work for me however. glares at people

Anyways, I will now cease my rambling and get on with the story. Please read and review.

**First Impressions Are Everything  
**

It would have been a lie if someone said Vik had a relaxing weekend. For once in his life, Vik was glad there was school on Monday. Being a student was easy, all you had to do was pay attention in class and do your homework. Being a teacher was even easier. It didn't matter if your students pass, even if they fail you still get paid. Being a parent was a different story. To be a parent, you must work hard each and every day. If your child fails, then you have failed them. It is extremely hard to be a parent and that was exactly what he had been for the past 3 days. During the weekend, Vik grabbed every educational book he could find in the house and started to bring Saria up to speed with her age's required education. Most of the things like basic math, reading and writing Saria already knew. How she did was still a mystery but it knocked off a couple years worth of teaching. Even so, the girl was still behind.

Luckily, Saria was a fast learner. She managed to grasp the concepts of Algebra and Geometry early, clearing through a whole semester's worth of cramming in a few short hours. She seemed to have no problem with grammar already, since she managed to understand his dad's lectures. He wasn't able to get around to teaching her Social Studies and History, since the rest of the weekend was spent learning Science. It was hard work, it was worth the effort.

"Wake up, Saria!" He said as he threw on a pair of black cargo pants. "You don't want to be late for your first day of school." Vik immediately felt like throwing up after saying that sentence. He sounded way too much like his mother.

Saria rubbed her eyes sleepily. "But I can only remember 20 elements..."

"I never told you to memorize them. Most kids just memorize the first 13 and write the rest on the back of their hands." He dug through his clothes pile and selected a hooded T-shirt that smelled less than a week old. "Just hurry up and get dressed." He said through the cotton fabric as he blindly felt his way out of the room. "I'll meet you downstairs."

As soon as he finished pulling down hist shirt, he slung his bag over his shoulder and bolted down the stairs. "Why are you in such a rush?" His mother asked when he ran into the kitchen. She and his father were seated at the table, enjoying a cup of herbal tea.

"There's something I have to do before class." He said, grabbing two containers of cup ramen. He filled a thermos with boiling water and shoved a donut in his mouth before charging out the door. "See you later!" He murmured through the donut.

Saria was already waiting for him outside, dressed in a red leather jacket and yellow T-shirt. A plaid skirt covered a pair of blue gym shorts, because in spite of Vik's arduous searching, he had failed to find any underwear. He made a mental note to buy her some as soon as possible, though he was not looking forward to it. In the mean time, the gym shorts worked great. They were the kind that covered only about a third of your thighs so no one could tell she was wearing them. "Wow. I didn't know you could dress yourself. I'm impressed." He laughed, dodging out of the way as Saria swung her book bag at his face. "Hey, can't you take a joke?"

Saria stuck out her tongue. "It's bad enough I have to live with you." She said, grabbing one of the ramen cups from Vik's hands. "But having to go to the same school as you? That's just too much. I haven't gotten a single minute of privacy since I arrived here."

"Three days and you're already complaining. Am I that hard to live with?" Vik thought out loud. She expressed her answer with a loathing glare, which could immediately be interpreted as an obvious 'yes'. "No wonder my sister moved out." He continued. "On the matter of your privacy, however, I'm not so sure. You've gone without human contact for a good portion of your life. I thought you would be bored with being alone by now." He opened the thermos and poured the boiling water into Saria's noodles before adding it to his own. "Come on. The school's only a couple blocks from here but you gotta start walking."

---

Vik and Saria stood outside the front gates, slowly sipping the last of the soup mix from the ramen. "Where is he?" Asked the girl with much difficulty, since she managed to burn her tongue four times.

"I don't know. He said he'd swing by early...ah, there he is now!" Vik waved down the distant figure of a moogle. Seconds later, Kili trudged up to the pair, grumpy for obvious reasons. During the weekdays he spent at his mom's house, his grandmother always insisted that he dressed formally for school. Every day, the moogle showed up in a clean white shirt, brown pants, suspenders, and a polka-dot bow tie. Catching him in this state was rare though, since Kili always brought a fresh change of clothes. All he had to do was remember to change back before he went home and he would be fine. "My, you're looking sharp today." Said Saria, trying to suppress a giggle.

"Don't you start, kupo!" Fumed Kili. "Let's just get this over with so I can change." Vik and Saria nodded in agreement, both trying their best to take the moogle seriously. They crushed their ramen cups and threw them in the trash before walking through the gates of their school.

---

After twenty minutes of waiting patiently outside of the main office, the door finally opened and his secretary escorted them in. "The principal will be with you in just a moment." She said to them, "He's just finishing up with a meeting." Not long after she said that, a man in a blue business suit walked out of the principal's office. "Send them in." Called a hoarse voice.

"It's about time. Look, it's nearly 8, kupo. I better change." The moogle shoved the papers into Vik's hands. "That's everything, including the school application. Good luck." And with that, the moogle turned around and headed for the nearest bathroom.

Grasping Saria by the shoulders, he led her into the prinicpal's office and helped her take a seat on an armchair. "Good morning Mr. Principal." Vik said, bowing slightly before taking a seat himself.

"Well, if it isn't Vik. How long has it been since we last met."

"Last week, sir." Vik said, trying his best not to sound proud.

"Ah yes. The little event we had with the snakes and the fireworks. But we're not here for that now, are we? What was it you came here for."

"Well, my cousin here..." He pointed to Saria, "Just moved here from overseas. She doesn't know anybody yet and her parents feel it would be safer for her if she attended the same school as me."

"Did you fill out the applications?" Vik wordlessly handed the stack of papers over to him. "Well, everything seems to be in order. But who's Nicholas Acheron?"

"Um...friend of the family, I guess." Vik smiled painfully, hoping he would buy it.

"You know, I normally wouldn't let a student in this late in the year." The principal said, scratching his chin. "We have less than a month left before summer. Why don't you bring her back next year..."

"Please, sir!" Interrupted Saria. Both Vik and the principal gave her surprised looks. "I've been studying hard all year in my home country. I was near the top of my classes for three straight semesters and I would have made it a clean fourth but my mother announced we were moving. Please, I don't want to be held back! Not after all I've done."

"_Wow."_ Vik thought, _"She's not half bad. That's twice as believable than anything I can come up with."_

The principal was on the verge of tears. Even Saria felt like rolling her eyes at the man's over-trusting judgment. Though nothing was done, the man seemed to sense their thoughts and immediately straightened up. "Alright...Saria." He said, reading her name off the application, "As I said before, I don't normally do this. But I'm going to enroll you in Mrs. Shatyr's division. If she feels you are ready to move on at the end of the semester, I'll see you next year as a sophomore."

"Thank you, sir." Vik and Saria said in unison. After receiving a locker assignment and uniform slip, the two of them thanked the principal once again and left the room. "Well, that wasn't as hard as you made it sound." Saria said as soon as they were out of the man's earshot.

"I'm just glad it's over." Vik said as he threw open his own locker and shoved his books in. "And you shouldn't worry much about Mrs. Shatyr. Her policy is, 'If you get more than half of it right, you deserve an A'. Enjoy it while it lasts, she won't be so naive forever."

---

Although there was over 10 minutes before homeroom, the halls were usually deserted by this time. For unknown reasons, there was no morning bell to signal the start of the school day. The rule was be in your homeroom by 8 o' clock. If anyone was caught in the halls after this time, they were forced to stay after school for punishment, which usually included mopping and sweeping. Because of this, Cyril Academy Private School had the cleanest floors out of all the schools in Ivalice.

Sure enough, room 211 was packed with students when Vik and Saria finally arrived. And like usual, there was a substantial amount of chattering going on. Vik walked up to the teacher and whispered something into her ear. After receiving a small nod, he walked down the middle aisle and took a seat at his desk. "Hurry up and find a seat." The teacher said in Saria's direction. Nodding timidly, Saria tried to find the next available seat that was as far away from Vik as possible. Unfortunately for her, the seat she did choose was in the front row, a bad move when trying to survive high school life.

At the time, Vik could have cared less about Saria. He was too busy listening to the early morning gossip. News of the outbreak had, without a doubt, reached the ears of even the youngest of minds. The students who attended the trip (only the first and fourth periods of Ms. Matteya's science class went) were now the centers of attention and the stories Vik had heard from them on the bus had drastically changed.

"They came _thiiiis_ close!" Said a girl, holding her thumb and forefinger less than an inch apart.

"Here's where they hit me." Said a Nu Mou, showing off the bruise he got when he fell off his bike.

"One of the monsters ate it, kupo." Said a moogle when the teacher asked where his school ID was. Vik's lungs nearly burst as he tried to subdue his laughter. Not one of them knew the true story. "Hypocrites." He muttered to himself as he stared out the window at the school clock, counting the minutes before first period started.

With a tap of a ruler, the entire class fell silent and turned their attention to the front of the room. Their teacher, Mrs. Shatyr, gave them a well-rehearsed smile. "Good morning, class! I trust you all had a good weekend."

"Yes, maam." Chimed the students. Mrs. Shatyr was Ms. Matteya's half sister and her polar opposite. Where her sister was sunny and cheerful, she was dark and grim. While her sister taught science, she taught literature. And even though both of them started teaching careers at the same time, they refused to speak to each other in the halls. The students weren't sure what happened between them, but were smart enough not to mention the sister's name while the other was in the same room.

"A new student is joining our class today. Please give her your full attention." The teacher then turned her stare to Saria. After a couple seconds, she realized the girl didn't take the hint. "What are you waiting for?" She said sternly, "Stand up! Introduce yourself!"

The tone of her voice could have made anyone get up. Saria didn't stand a chance. "Um...hello." She said, rising to her feet and turning to face her classmates, "My name's Saria Fellcrest. I'm Vik's cousin from overseas. Pleased to make your acquaintance." With that being said, Saria immediately took a seat, thankful she could not see the class's reactions.

In spite of Saria's perception on her own speech, it did not leave a very bad impression on the students. Already, positive comments were being exchanged, most of them including the words "she's pretty cute". But that was how it was with introductions, as long as you don't make a complete fool of yourself, your classmates will spare you their pity. The student's bantering was brought to a halt when loudspeaker suddenly crackled. "Attention Freshmen and Sophomores," Said a electronic version of their principal's voice, "Because of recent events, all classes today have been canceled. Please report to the gymnasium immediately."As soon as the click was heard, signaling the end of the broadcast, every single student started cheering at the top of their lungs. "Quiet! Quiet!" Mrs. Shatyr shouted, banging her ruler against the desk like a gavel. "As much as I disapprove of this decision, I will stand by it for I know the principal has his reasons. Now line up outside the room!" The class did so willingly, since they didn't have much to complain about.

As Vik stepped out of the room, a familiar voice called his name. Spinning around, he saw Kili standing with his homeroom about three doors down. The first thing he noticed was that he was no longer wearing suspenders. He had switched his brown pants with a pair of worn out jeans and flipped his shirt collar up. As for the tie, he undid the bow and turned it inside out so only the black fabric was showing and tied it around his head. "Hey, kupo!" He said, walking up to Vik and Saria. "You have any idea what this is about?"

"Not a clue." Vik responded. "But it might have something to do with the outbreak."

"Well of course it does!" Saria said in a 'it's blatantly obvious' tone, "That's all _anybody_ has been talking about for the past few days." Of course, Saria had not spoken to anybody other than Vik's family for those first 3 days of her life but in an attempt to make her more aware of her surroundings, Vik had her watch the news. Unfortuneately, every station had entered 24-hour coverage of the Bagabu outbreak incident so in the end, she didn't learn much.

"I guess we'll find out soon, kupo!"

Ms. Matteya emerged from her classroom, carrying the attendance book and what would have been the day's lesson plans. "Come on, class. We don't want to keep the principal waiting." As she headed to round up a few kids that wandered from the "flock", she caught sight of her half sister, who was just locking the classroom door. For the second their eyes connected, Vik could have sworn he saw electricity form between them. "Let's go this way, children." Said Ms. Matteya, leading the class in the opposite direction. "We'll meet up at the gym." Kili called after them. "Catch ya later." As soon as they disappeared from sight, Mrs. Shatyr nodded at her own class and led them along the hall.

As the class proceeded down the hallway, Vik looked out the window and noticed an assembly of Juniors and Seniors gathering in the courtyard next to bits of paper taped to the ground. Squinting, he noticed various numbers ending in A and B written on them. "_Seems everyone's getting in on this..._" He thought. Upperclassmen were housed in a different section of the school, so a separate intercom was set up especially for them. It was only one of the many special treatments they received.

---

The school's gymnasium was huge. It wasn't like standard gyms, which usually only contained two basketball courts. This was an indoor football field built with hardwood flooring. It had everything for every sport, like goal posts, basketball hoops, and holes where you can set up volleyball and tennis nets. The center of it even opened up to reveal a Olympic-sized swimming pool. 300 panes of glass made up the ceiling, adding sunlight to the gym's 250 light bulbs. Cyril Academy was proud of their gym, and it was usually the first thing the tardy students cleaned.

As they entered the gym, Vik noticed half of it was walled off. The other side was where the Upperclassmen had their P.E. Even though the room was drastically smaller, the two years worth of classes were able to fit in there comfortably, along with what appeared to be a television crew. The students were gathering around a small, boxy stage that was set up at the far end of the gym. On the eastern wall, several tables stood in front of a wall of wooden crates.

Vik eyed the cameramen suspiciously before turning his attention back to the stage. Sitting on the left and right sides of the podium was The Principal, the V.P, the man they saw in the office that morning, and Ms. Matteya. Curiously, Vik and Saria joined the assembly in front of the stage. As the last of the divisions entered, the principal gave a thumbs up and every door was slammed shut. As soon as the classes calmed down, the man in the blue suit rose and approached the podium.

"Good morning, everyone." He said, speaking like he was running for president. The cameras from various channels immediately zoomed onto him. "We are gathered here today on account of recent events. Terrible events. Events that opened our eyes to the dangers we are put through each day. For the past few days, people have been living in fear, constantly wondering what was going to happen next. Here to share her story with us is Karone Matteya." He took a seat back and beckoned for the teacher to approach. The teacher looked at the now empty space hesitantly, trying to get her thoughts in order. When that was done, she stood up and walked up next to him.

"Hello. My name is Karone Matteya." She said in a dry, toneless voice, the kind you hear when someone's reading off a sheet of paper. "On the day of Friday the 14th, my first and fourth classes were looking forward to a normal, everyday field trip to a monster holding facility. Little did we know, we would barely escape with our lives. Those monsters were released right in front of us, the memory of their angry roars still make it hard to sleep at night. We had no idea what to do. I had no idea what to do. And I will never forget that feeling of helplessness as along as I live." This was when Ms. Matteya broke into tears and was escorted off the stage by the vice principal.

Vik's mouth fell open. This whole thing had become a shameless media plug. Just another excuse to bring the school even more publicity. Part of him wanted to wave down the cameras and give them the _real_ story. But it was being held back by common sense. Besides, who would listen to what some kid had to say?

It was the principal's turn to speak now. He cleared his throat and straightened his tie before walking up to the stand. "I assure you, Ms. Matteya; I assure each and every one of you. This will not happen again. Our dignified school will not stand by while our students are threatened. That is why, by signed permission of the Judgemaster, I am admissioning the clan wars program to each and every student." The last statement generated loud gasps from the audience, the teachers, and even the camera crew. "This act will be effective immediately and will run through out the entire summer. A letter has already been sent to schools across the country, encouraging them to participate in this program. During this time, our children will be given proper weapons training so the next time this happens,they will be ready!" As the Principal stepped down, the teachers inadvertently cheered while the students were left speechless. The cameras were turned off after getting a few good shots of the crowd.

"What are clan wars?" Saria whispered in Vik's ear. Vik's mouth was still hanging open from surprise. After a few tries, he finally managed to push it closed and in turn, regained his speech.

"The clan wars is just what its name implies." He said, his head still pounding with shock, "Clans of up to 24 units compete against each other for turf, items, money, even for personal interests. But ever since the Monster Sweep, the clan wars have been dying down. Since there weren't any monsters and since the palace controlled every inch of turf, the clans lost all reason to fight each other. There are still some now and then, usually over an argument or something but other than that, clans usually just do pub missions."

It was Saria's turn to be shocked, though she was much less dramatic than her 'cousin'. "And your...our principal...wants to start this up again? Why? It sounds like a practice nescessary for the times of the past but would be viewed as barbaric today."

"I have no idea but I'm guessing since it died off with the monsters, it would come back with them. And what better place contains more rivalry than a high school?" Vik said. Around him, his classmates were already glaning at eachother nervously or flaring with competance. "We'll be tearing each other apart for the sake of reputation."

---

As soon as the news vans pulled themselves out of the school parking lot, students were instructed to line up in front of the stage; freshman on the left and sophomores on the right. Two buckets were placed on either side, filled to the rim with folded pieces of paper. Written on each sheet was a number ending in D for the freshman and C for the sophomores.

It didn't take a genius to figure out what they were trying to do. This was the random separation process, a process used by teachers to make sure no one gets unfair advantages. It wasn't fail proof however, because teams with three or four muscular guys were already forming. In the end, it all came down to luck, something Vik came up short with when he reached into the basket. He fished around for a second before withdrawing a sheet with a ragged side. As he stepped off the platform, he opened the sheet and found the letters 25-D stamped on it in red ink.

Saria stepped up from behind him, waving around her own sheet. 25-D was also stamped on it, except in blue ink. "What's this supposed to be for?" She asked for the hundredth time.

"It's simple really," Vik said, showing her his own sheet. "You're supposed to find the people who have the same number as you and get in a group with them."

Saria smacked herself in the face when she saw Vik's number. "Does that mean I'm in the same group as you?" She asked from behind her fingers.

"I'm afraid so. It must be fate so it can't be helped. Now com'n, let's go find the rest of the clan."

The two of them scouted around the gym, searching for their future clan members. Just like what happened with the seniors, signs have been posted along the ground and along the walls, the numbers printed on them gradually increasing as they walked further. After taking 24 signs worth of steps, they had arrived at the far corner of the room. Kili was already waiting for them there, his sheet stuck on his forehead by his own spit. "Well it's about time you two got her!" He said, giving Vik a high five, though it could barely be called such seeing that it was barely a foot off the ground. "Me and the others have been waiting forever, kupo" He waved his hand behind him, motioning at the other three beings that were present. Sitting on top of a pile of tumbling mats was a Bangaa. He wore a red sports jacket and blue faded jeans. Vik knew him as Yolando Egidio. Then again, there wasn't as student in the whole freshman year that didn't know who he was. His name was on the top of every list displaying class rankings. Though he had every reason to gloat, he mostly kept to himself. Vik had only talked to him a few times, but only about school related topics.

The other two members were familiar as well. Leaning against the walls in the corner of the room was a Viera named Elena Pendragon and a human named Mosely Lionheart. They were both roughly the same height, somewhere around 6'1, with ornate green eyes. Both of them were wearing their school uniforms, a decision forced on them by their parents. Their only differences was their gender and their hair color. Their manners and the way they held themselves were completely alike. They were what society calls blue-bloods, a term not referring to the actual color of their blood but rather to their family's social status. The Pendragons and Lionhearts were direct descendants of the first kings of Ivalice and these families constantly held this fact above everybody's heads.

Vik's relationship with Mosely wasn't all that bad. They were in the same division and were teammates on the school soccer team. They had even eaten lunch together a few times. He chose not to acknowledge his position on the heiarchy and no one would have even known he was nobility if the teachers hadn't stopped and gasped when they read his name on the roster during the first day. Elena, on the other hand...well, let's just say people would rather jump headfirst into a gator infested swamp than work with her. She had a way to pick out each and every one of your individual faults and throw them in your face when you least expect it. And unless you had prestigious family ties, she normally ignored you. In this instance, however, she was the first to speak up. "Oh no...don't tell me _he's_ our clan leader." She said with both verbal and physical disgust.

"Wait a minute. Leader? What are you talking about?"

Kili grabbed Vik's slip of paper and looked it over. "There's no mistaking it, kupo." He said, passing the sheet around. "Red ink. He's our clan leader."

Vik smacked himself on the forehead. Good luck always seemed to find a way to work against him.


	8. To Defend One's Honor

**To Defend One's Honor**

"How about Clan...Star?"

"No way! It's too girly."

"Hey! That's gender discrimination! A person of my stature deserves..."

"Aw, shut up already. It's hard enough already to think up a name without you constantly reminding us of our lowliness."

"Kupo! Can't we all just get along for 5 seconds!"

Saria rolled her eyes at the bickering threesome. They spent all night thinking up names for their clan and they still couldn't come to a decision. And by _they_, she meant Vik, Kili, and Elena. The rest of the group didn't mind what name they got, they just wanted to fill out the empty space at the top of their entry forms.

"We need something cool." Vik said, "Something that would make our clan stand out."

Kili shook his head. "Look, a cool name isn't going to make our clan stand out. I mean, look at Clan Nutsy, kupo! Who chose that stupid name?"

"I think it should be French." Said Elena, "French makes everything sound fancy."

"We don't want fancy, kupo! We're a clan, not a cooking club!"

"That doesn't mean our name can't have some class."

"Why is that the only thing you talk about?" Vik shouted, glaring at the Viera. "Are you **that** ashamed to be working with us _commoners_?"

"As a matter of fact, I..."

"SHUT THE HELL UP ALREADY!" Said an unknown voice. Everyone followed the vibrations in the air to the source of the outburst. And to everyone's surprise, it was Yolando. "I am ssso sssick and tired of your arguing!" He hissed. "Why don't you jussst pick a name and ssstick with it!"

It took a while for everyone to grasp the fact that the bangaa could talk. When the fact finally sunk in, Elena's attitude returned. "Well if you're so smart, why don't you think up a name?"

Yolando gave the Viera a poisonous glare before turning his attention back to the task at hand. "Senbunsu Hebun" He muttered.

"Gesundheit, kupo?"

Yolando sighed. "Senbunsu Hebun." he said, rubbing his temples. "It means Seventh Heaven. According to ancient mythology, they are the highest court of angels."

Everyone automatically looked at Elena, expecting her to say something snappy. "What?" She said when she noticed the five pairs of eyes on her. "I like it." With those three words, mass cheering erupted from the group and Seventh Heaven was born.

---

Now that the formation of their clan was official, it was now time to choose job classes. The contents of the wooden crates were finally revealed. Tucked inside each of the boxes were the cheapest weapons their school funding could buy, along with a couple pounds of packaging hay. The principal said the reason they were so cheap was so they would have enough for everyone, even though seniors were seen lugging around expensive Kwingon Blades and Master Bows. On the table in front of Vik, claws of various sizes were strung together like nun-chucks. "The principal should be thankful these weapons are of such poor quality." Said Mosely, examining the scratch marks on a Rod. "Half of the people in this room want to beat him senseless right now."

"Meh. It wouldn't be the first time I got hand-me downsss." Hissed Yolando.

Vik picked up a pair of harmless-looking cat claws that looked like they would work better as earmuffs than as weapons. "Hey, we should be thankful for what we get." He said, trying to shove his hand inside a claw, "Besides, we can always break into the senior's lockers."

Mosely raised an eyebrow as Vik slipped on the claw-tipped glove. "Uh, Vik. You do know that those are..."

"Yolando! Just what are you doing over here?" A voice hissed from behind him.

Yolando seemed to shrink upon hearing his name. "It'sss him, isn't it?" He whispered through the corner of his mouth. Vik and Mosely spun around just to make sure. " I'm afraid so." Said Vik. Standing about two tables away next to a display of short swords was Yolando's older brother, Baldwin.

"Didn't you hear me?" He said, walking up to the group, "I asked you what you're doing here?"

Once again, Yolando had lost all will to talk so Mosely spoke up for him. "What do you _think_ he's doing here? What do you think any of us are here? We're looking at weapons, of course!"

"I know that!" The older Bangaa snapped. "What I want to know is why you're over here by the claws. Warriors can't use knuckles."

Yolando stared down at his feet. "I want to be a White Monk." He said weakly.

"A WHAT!" Upon hearing those seven words, Baldwin seemed to grow ten feet tall. "Absolutely not! I will not allow it! Our family will not allow it!"

"And why not?" Vik asked, the stray cat claw flailing around wildly on his right hand. "It's a free country. He has a choice, you know."

"Stay out of thisss human!" Hissed Baldwin. "This is family business. It is a Egidio tradition that the second-born male become a Defender. I am only here to make sure Yolando does not shame our family na..." It was at this time Vik swung the loose end of the cat claws at Baldwin. He wasn't trying to hurt him; just whack him lightly on the side of the face. But he had forgotten one very important thing: the gloves were tipped. As they passed by his face, three inch-long spikes connected with the bangaa's skin. Baldwin roared with pain as blood began to ooze from the newly-opened slits under his eye.

"Holy shit! I am so sor..." Vik apology was cut short when a pair of orange scaly hands wrapped around his neck. Even if he had finished his sentence, it wouldn't have made a difference. After a few more seconds, Vik's entire life would have been choked out of him.

It took five students and two teachers to pry the sausage-like fingers from Vik's throat and three more students to keep him off. "You're not gonna get away with this!" He hissed as Vik collapsed on the floor, gasping for air. "I will not stand by as you..." Yolando clapped his hand over his brother's mouth and motioned for the others to lead him away. As soon as they were gone, Mosely knelt down by Vik's side.

"You okay?" He asked, whacking Vik hard on the back to get the circulation going.

Vik gave one final cough before wiping the sweat from his head. "I'm fine." He said after several attempts. "What's that guy's problem anyways? They were only tiny scratches. They could heal overnight!"

"Um, Vik..." Mosely placed both arms under Vik's armpits and hoisted him onto his feet. "Do you remember that movie we saw in history class about a month ago?"

"You mean the one where the wealthy merchant slapped the governor with a loose glove and the had a du..." Vik's eyes widened with the realization of what he did. "Oh crap."

---

_To Vik Fellcrest and whoever it may concern,_

_The act you committed today has sullied my family's name and honor. I will not allow you to escape without punishment for what you've done. I challenge you to a fist-fight. 12 PM in front of the school clock. Be there or I will hunt you down like the dog you are! -Baldwin Egidio_

"How do you get yourself into these things, Kupo?" Kili said as he crumbled up the note and threw it in the trash can.

"That doesn't matter right now." Vik leaned his head against the backboard of the wooden bench. "What does matter is how I'm going to get myself out."

"Kupo! You mean you're not fighting him?"

"No. I just need to come up with a peaceful way to settle this. I mean, all he wants is a chance to 'reclaim his family honor'. Maybe I can talk some sense into him."

Kili gave a typical moogle laugh; airy, high-pitched, and with the eventual 'kupo'. "This is a bangaa we're talking about." Kili said breathlessly. "Even if you were playing Go fish you couldn't talk sense into him."

---

The thing about fights in front of clock towers is that you can never be late. And with a giant time-teller looming above it, it's a pretty hard place to miss as well. To sum things up, it was the perfect location for an engagement. It was five minutes to noon and Baldwin sat in the middle of a circle of people, meditating. Apparently, word of the fight had gotten out and human nature made it impossible for someone to resist coming to watching. The long hand was only two notches from the twelve when the crowd parted, allowing a brown-haired human into the ring. Baldwin lifted a single eyelid to make sure it really was Vik. "You came." Was the only thing he mumbled.

"Thank you for stating the obvious." Said the smart-mouthed human.

"Mark my wordsss, you wouldn't be talking like that when I'm through with you."

Vik smiled his normally carefree smile. "My dear Baldy. As long as my mouth is intact, I'm going to talk in whatever way I want."

The clock struck twelve and Baldwin sprang to his feet. "Then that's where I'll start!" He shouted, punching the air in front of him. A blast of pressurized air resonated from his fist and flew straight at Vik's face. The invisible missile hit him right between the eyes, sending him curling back into the wall of spectators.

"What the hell was that?" Vik mumbled as he slowly regained his senses.

"Air Render." Said the voice above him. Vik looked up and saw that it was Yolando who caught him. "Don't let your guard down. My brother has mastered several Monk and Battle Techniques. Even without a weapon he's still dangerous."

"Thanks for the tip, but I'll be fine." Vik pulled himself up and glanced back at his opponent. He was halfway through the process of sending another volley of air at him. Only this time, Vik was ready. The missile was about tree feet from his head when he jumped up and spin-kicked it. It bounced right of his left foot and smashed Baldwin right in the belly. "Oof." The older bangaa stumbled back, rage welling up in his eyes. "Ssso, you're through playing gamesss, eh? Let'sss kick thisss up a notch." From his belt, he pulled out a fist-shaped metal glove, more commonly known as a Bracer.

"Hey, you said this was going to be a fist fight." Vik retaliated.

"Open your eyess, human. We are using fistsss."

Vik's had searched his pockets for anything that would be useful right now. In an amazing presentation of luck, the pair of cat claws Vik had been examining earlier were poking up from the bottom. Assuming that they'd give him some sort of advantage, Vik broke the chain that connected them and slipped them on his hands.

Baldwin watched awestruck as the human put on gloves meant for moogles and bangaas. "What the heck are thossse?"

"Cat claws. Why should you be the only one with hard knuckles?"

Baldwin wasn't sure if he should laugh at or pity the clueless human. "You're a joke." He said, his face a mix of the two emotions. "You know that right?

"I might be one right now." Vik said, slicing the air in front of him. "But when I smash your head into the ground, it'll be the other way around."

"Fat chance!" Hissed the bangaa, forcing his hands together into a praying position. "Chakra!" As he uttered that single word, a wave of white sparks surrounded the scratches under his eyes and his bruised stomach. In a second the skin had repaired itself and returned to its normal color.

"Woah. How the heck did you..." Once again, Vik's sentence was cut short when another volley of air, this time much harder, collided with his face. He fell backwards, cursing under his breath. _"Damn. I can't even get close to him. Not while he keeps..."_ Vik's train of thought came to a sudden halt when he finally opened his eyes. _'Wow. He must have hit me harder than I thought."_

He shook off the dizziness from the blow and took another look. It was definitely not an illusion. His hand was glowing green. _"What the heck is going on?"_ He thought, taking a look at his other hand. It, too, was glowing. Except this time it was yellow. Things only got more confusing when Vik looked back up at Baldwin. Over a dozen streams of green light were flowing around the bangaa like an neon tornado. "What's with the light show?"

The Bangaa gave Vik a bewildered look. "Man, you've finally lost it." As he said the words, a stream of light strayed from the whirlwind and wrapped around the bangaa's right hand while another stream shot forth and connected itself to Vik's stomach. "Earth Render!" He slammed his fists on the ground, sending a wave of fresh earth in front of him.

Vik barely had enough time to get to his feet before the wall of glowing green earth smashed into him, burying him instantly. _"Okay don't panic." _He thought, trying to force down a mouthful of dirt so he could breathe. _"Just slowly pull your way...ouch!"_ A sudden burst of pain traveled through his arm as he tried to move his shoulder. "Damn it!" He shouted, dirt once again filling up his mouth.

"_Get a hold of yourself, Vik. Now, think back to when Baldy did that Chockro thingy."_ He racked his brain trying to remember what the bangaa did to heal and groaned when he realized he had to clap his hands together. _"Hurry up and get it over with!"_ yelled his brain. _"If you don't do it now, it'll only get worse."_ With much difficulty and agony, Vik managed to move both his hands over his chest and pressed his palms together. "Chakra!" He said as loudly as anyone with a ball of mud in his mouth. He watched in awe as a stream of green aura detached itself from his glowing cat claws and wrapped around his fractured shoulder; white sparks promptly followed. "_Sweet it worked!"_ Vik thought. Just to be sure, he tried shrugging his shoulders. No pain. _"Alright, time to get back out there and finish this."_

Baldwin had enjoyed all of 30 seconds of his premature victory when a furry hand burst through the surface of the earth, bringing an extremely displeased human with it. "You're not hurt..." The Bangaa mouthed the words, for no sound could get past the lump in his throat. Even so, Vik was able to understand what he was trying to say.

"I wasn't completely unharmed. I dislocated my shoulder, you get credit for that. I had to use that clockrock thingy to heal it."

"Clockrock...?" Baldwin repeated with a raised eyebrow, "You mean Chakra?"

"Yeah. That's the one."

Baldwin's mouth fell open even though he doubted Vik was being truthful. "I know what you're trying to do..." He growled, streams of green aura returning to his hands. "You're trying to psssych me out, aren't you?"

Had Vik been paying attention, he would have heard the question. At the time, however, too many strange and confusing things were happening at once. Way too many for Vik to understand. For example, strands of green aura were cling to Vik's chest, presumably from the stream of light that had attached itself to him seconds before the pile of earth came crashing down on him. _"I wonder..."_ Vik reached towards the stray strands but stopped about halfway. A single thought wandered into his head, imagining the streams of aura wrapping around his hands in a way similar to before. And as if it could read Vik's mind, a four of five strands of light jumped from the group and wrapped themselves around Vik's hands. Without giving himself time to think things over, Vik slammed the glowing fist into the ground, sending a wave of light encrusted earth at the Bangaa.

The wave caught Baldwin by surprise. Though it wasn't nearly as large as his own attack, the fact that a _human_, who could never have became a White Monk, much less learn their abilities, was able to perform Earth Render. The wall of earth fell around him, burying him up to his chest. "What the hell are you!" The Bangaa shouted.

"Um...I'm pretty sure I'm a human. Why?"

Baldwin growled as he tried to dislodge his feet from the pile. "You are ssso fucking cluelesss." With one swift motion, he yanked a glowing green hand from the dirt. "I don't know how you did that, but it'sss not going to help you. Not at all!"

As he spoke another stream of green light disconnected itself from the whirlwind and came slithering towards Vik. Curiously, he reached out and grabbed it before it could attach to him and pushed it off to the side. "Far Fist!" He heard the Bangaa yell. Seconds later, an explosion went off a few feet away. Besides getting hit with a few pieces of debris, Vik was completely unscratched.

Baldwin was in complete shock. "What did you just do?"

"You know...I'm not so sure myself." Vik looked over his right hand. Once again, strands of aura were stuck to it.

The bangaa looked like he was about to explode. "You find thisss funny, don't you? Does it amuse you to make such a mockery of my..."

"Will you shut up already!" Vik growled, glaring angrily at the bangaa. "I know I unknowingly challenged you to a duel, but stop taking this so seriously. I'm not after your family's honor and what not, I just want you to stop trying to control Yolando."

Baldwin flinched as if he had just been dealt a physical blow. "You know nothing, human!" He hissed. "The Egidio family has traditions. Traditions we are expected to fulfill. As his elder, it is my job to make sure he makes the right choices. And I say he shall become a warrior."

"Oh really?" Vik gave him a small grin. "Well I'm his clan leader and I say he can be whatever the hell he wants."

That was it. That was the very top of Baldwin's tolerance level. "You're dead!" He hissed as two powerful legs kicked against the ground, freeing the bangaa from the earthy pile and carrying him towards Vik.

"_If that's how you want it..."_ Vik pressed two glowing green hands against the ground, causing the earth beneath his feet to burst and propel him towards Baldwin. "Far Fist!" They shouted in unison as their fists collided. The air around them exploded, sending the two flesh and blood projectiles in opposite directions. As he hit the floor, Vik heard a deafening crack before blacking out.

---

"Vik...wake up..."

As a reflex, a soft groan immediately buzzed in his throat but he chose to silence it. "Go away." Vik moaned, turning over onto his face. The voice responded to the phrase by pounding hard on the back of Vik's skull.

"Kupo? Anybody home?" It said with a slight hint of laughter. Grumbling, Vik turned back onto his back and opened his eyes. He was now lying in a white-washed hospital room hooked up to a machine that made occasional pings. He was wearing a smock that resembled a bare tablecloth complemented by bandages wrapped around his legs and arms. Lini's furry knuckles continued to rap his skull While Yolando, Mosely, and Saria stood at the end of his bed with similar looks of relief. "Morning, sunshine!" Chimed Kili, giving him a final whack in the arm.

A burst of pain shot through Vik's arm, for Kili had purposely punched the wound. "Watch it, moron!" He yelled, trying to dull the throbbing by rubbing the bruise. "After what I just went through, don't you think you should give me a break?"

Kili stuck out his tongue. "Give you a break? You were the one who got yourself into that fight in the first place, kupo. In fact, I would whack you more but the nurse would kick us out if I did."

"Leave him alone, Kili." Said Mosely. "He just got the crap beaten out of him."

"What?" Vik suddenly sat up, an act that sent jolts of pain through his legs. "I lost?"

"Technically, yesss." Hissed Yolando, "But Baldwin didn't win either." He walked to Vik's right and pulled back the curtain. In the section next to him, Baldwin lay in a identical metal frame bed. In addition to the bandages, the bangaa was wearing a neck brace and his right arm was in a sling. "He crashed into the wall." Yolando said grimly. "The doctorsss sssaid he broke his neck. It's nothing ssserious though. They can remove the brace in a few daysss. He also broke a few bones, but the white mages cured those in a snap."

"Well, that explains the crack I heard." Vik lifted his hand to eye level. There was not a trace of green aura. "Did you guys notice anything strange during the fight?"

"Kupo. You mean like you using Earth Render?"

"No. I meant those weird green lights."

The whole group gave him bewildered glances. "What are you talking about?" Saria asked, "I didn't see any lights." Everyone nodded in agreement, leaving Vik with a feeling of confusion. "It was strange how you used those abilities, though." Admitted Mosely. "Have you ever had any training."

Vik shook his head. "I don't know how I did them. I just copied Baldwin, move by move." He received even more looks of bewilderment and even attracted a raised eyebrow from a nurse who was checking his bandages. "What?"

"Well..." Kili said anxiously, "That's...erm, kinda...impossible?"

"No it's not." Vik protested. "I did it, didn't I. And I'm the guy with the least experience in this room!"

"You don't understand..." Said Yolando, "The reason it was ssso weird iss the fact you're a human."

"What has that got to do with anything?"

"Earth Render isss a Bangaa-only ability. Only White Monksss can use it."

"What is even more confusing..." Mosely put in, "Is the fact that you were able to put on the cat claws and wield them without effort is equally astonishing. They were created for Bangaas and Moogles only. No human, Nu Mou, or Viera could have worn one the way you did."

Vik leaned back and held his head to his palms. Things were confusing enough as it is, he did not need this happening. "Hey, look on the bright side, kupo!" Kili said, punching him in his wound again. "Things are only going to get interesting from now on. A _lot_ more interesting." Vik felt another groan buzz in his throat and this time, he did not try to hold it back.


	9. The Amber Eyes

**The Amber Eyes**

Because Vik had only minor injuries, he was released later that day. Despite his constant attempts to act like he was in pain, his parents refused to write a note to excuse him from school (probably because they were _professional_ doctors). The rest of the school week was pretty much the same. Classes started up again on Friday and students were horrified to find the heap of work that had piled up over the last four days waiting for them in their classrooms. In a single day, Vik had taken 16 pop quizzes, 8 tests, and 11 mock exams. By the time the final bell rang, half the class was too tired to leave. If it had not been for the fact that Saria _still_ didn't know the way home, Vik would have spent the night at his desk.

"So how'd you do on the science test?" He asked as they walked along the street, now wild with emancipated high school students.

"I failed." She said grimly. "I got a 72"

"Hey, that's twice as high as my score!" Vik remarked, sweatdropping. "And to think earlier this week I actually wanted to go back to school."

"I like it." Saria said, smiling.

Vik looked at her with an expression as if she had just shouted out 'I have Polio!' "You can't be serious!"

Saria shrugged, still smiling. "It wasn't so bad. You made it sound so much worse."

"That's because this week was different because of the clan wars and stuff. If you've been through 14 months made up of days like today, you'd treasure this moment right here." Vik gestured wildly at the scene around him. "The freedom around us, the carelessness; this is the weekend! It's the only thing that keeps us from going insane."

"It's lovely..." She said sarcastically. Vik made a face at her, which she promptly returned.

The two of them pulled away, laughing. "Whatever. You'll learn to appreciate soon enough." Vik added.

---

To make up for the sleep he had lost last weekend, Vik slept well into the afternoon, awakening only as the glaring sun reared its face towards Vik's western window. For a second, Vik contemplated rolling over onto his other side but decided that if he was going to move at all, then he might as well get up. Moaning, Vik hoisted his feet over the bed and onto the floor, pulling himself up in the process. The bubbling in his stomach reminded him he had not eaten anything in the past 15 hours so he worked his way out the door and down the stairs.

The smell of smoke greeted Vik as he opened the door of the kitchen. His mom was already in there, washing the dishes from lunch. "Oh, you're finally up." Said Mrs. Fellcrest when she realized her son had just walked in. "There are leftovers in the fridge if you want them."

"Whad da herk happened in hare?" Vik asked, holding his nose. Obviously, his mom had already gotten used to it.

"Oh, it's nothing." Replied his mom, twitching her nose a bit. "Saria tried to make breakfast."

"She did what?"

Mrs. Fellcrest smiled warmly. "Don't worry. Nobody was hurt. I just smelled smoke this morning and thought it was a fire."

"And you didn't wake me up?" Vik frowned playfully. "Had it been a real fire, I would have caught my death of flames."

Mrs. Fellcrest only smiled and patted Vik on the head, a gesture which (despite all of Vik's protesting) she thought her son would never get too old for. "Well I hope that teaches you a lesson."

Grumbling, Vik threw open the fridge and removed a plate of food wrapped in plastic. He was about to close the door, he noticed a small plate with a heap of brown lumps on it.

"What's this?" He asked, removing the plate and carelessly popping a lump into his mouth.

Mrs. Fellcrest glanced at Vik's direction and gave a small laugh. "They're Saria's omelets. I just couldn't bring myself to throw them away. She worked so hard on them it would have been...wait! Don't eat it!" Had she acted a second earlier, she would have spared her son from a horrible fate.

It felt like he had just bitten into a piece of charcoal, for the lump resembled it in both taste and texture. Foolishly, he chose to swallow it; an action he had immediately regretted. The burnt omelet stuck to the sides of his throat like he had just swallowed a cork. Gasping for air, he grabbed the nearest container he could find and chugged its contents. The dish soap lubricated the lump, allowing it to slide down its throat and leaving only a lemony fresh scent. The slippery feeling in Vik's throat was soon replaced with a burning sensation when he ran to the bathroom and started vomiting. "I tried to warn you..." Mumbled Mrs. Fellcrest as she held Vik's hair as he continued to hurl.

---

After several minutes and three teaspoons of stomach medicine, Vik was splayed out on his bed, breathing heavily. He was as hungry as ever now, but after downing five fluid ounces of soap he had completely lost his appetite. A small knock rang from his door and a green-haired head poked itself into his room. "How ya doin' son?" His father asked.

"I could be better." Vik replied, waving his hand to permit entrance. Carefully, Mr. Fellcrest entered the room, bearing a pitcher of water and two cans of fizzy cola.

"Here." His father said, popping open a can and handing it to Vik. "It'll help calm your stomach down."

Vik promptly sat up and accepted the soda. "So where'd Saria go. I just realized she wasn't here."

"Oh, she went out with a friend. I think her name was Elaine or something...she was a Viera."

"Elena?"

"Yeah that's her. She one of your friends from school."

"Not really..." Vik said awkwardly. So far, "his cousin" was the only person in the group other than Mosely who made an impression on the blue blooded Viera. Nobody could explain it. The two of them did not just get along, they already had a strong relationship. "She's just an acquaintance."

"That sure wasn't the case with Saria. She didn't even have to think over the invitation."

"I don't know what she sees in her."

His father gave him a worried look. "She seemed pretty nice when she came here. Her manners were very...proper, I should say."

Vik snorted. "Wow. I'm surprised that blue blood didn't talk like we're below her."

"Well, we put Saria's life in her hands." He said, collecting the empty tray and heading for the door. "We're just gonna have to hope that she's up to the task of fighting for her."

When the door shut behind him, Vik gazed around the room. Over the past week, he had gotten so used to the girl's presence that the room seemed empty now that she wasn't there. It reminded him of the night after his sister moved out, even though he had convinced himself that it was a a change of the better. Sighing, he flopped back down on his bed. What was he going to do now? He planned to hang out with his clan today, maybe do a few missions or challenge some seniors to an engagement. But Kili was with his dad, Mosely and Yolando both had baseball practice, and Elena and Saria were off somewhere. They were probably sipping tea or something fancy right now. His eyes wandered aimlessly around the room before falling on an old pilot jacket hanging on his closet's doorknob. _"Oh yeah, I still have Captain Nicholas's stuff."_ He walked over to the jacket and picked it up. He had had his mom run it through the washing machine a few times to remove the oil stains. _"I should return this to him. He told me to keep him informed on Saria anyways, I guess I could pay him a visit." _And without a single thought more, he tied the jacket around his waist before rushing out the door.

---

Vik managed to catch the 2 PM train to Bagabu port. There were two advantages that came with traveling this way. The first was that it was faster than a bus and went nonstop from point A to point B, cutting the travel time by a little bit over an hour. The second was that it stopped right at the airport. When the train finally pulled into the platform, Vik quickly hopped off his car and stretched. With the amount of money he managed to worm out of his parents, he was only able to afford a ticket to a very hard and uncomfortable plastic seat so right now his back was killing him. After hearing a satisfying crack, he headed over to customer service. He was NOT looking forward to wandering around the labyrinth of glass containers and bleached hallways again, so he was hoping for directions or a map.

Sitting behind a plastic booth right in the middle of the greeting hall was a middle aged female moogle, carelessly filing away her fingernails. "Hi there." Vik said, approaching the desk, "I'm looking for Hanger 15."

For a second, Vik could have sworn he saw a glimmer of surprise in the moogle's eyes. "Sorry, kid. No such place." She droned, not looking up from her nails.

"That's impossible. I was just there a little over a week ago. It's the place where the monsters attacked."

The moogle shook her head slightly. "Nope. Doesn't ring a bell. It was probably at another airport."

Vik took a step back and started rubbing his temples. This entire ordeal was taking a huge toll on Vik. For the past week, his ignorant mind was exposed to massive amounts of information, all of which he either understood little or none. And now, the place where all of this started never existed, according to the moogle. Maybe he was going crazy. Yes, that would explain everything. The people known as Captain Nicholas and Saria never existed. There was no monster attack and no Nu Mous in black robes. Vik was so caught up with his thoughts, he didn't notice the moogle press a button under her desk. Within a few seconds, two uniformed guards burst through the front doors and grabbed Vik by the arms. Vik's mind immediately snapped back into reality when he realized he was being dragged away. "Wait..what are you doing? Where are you taking me?" He screamed, kicking his legs furiously.

---

As they dragged him along the white-washed halls, Vik did his best to memorize the path if he somehow managed to escape from the pair of muscular arms. _"Let's see..that's left, right, left, left, straight, right, straight, through door number 9...wait no it was left, right, right...damn it!"_ The guard's pace began to slow down as the approached the end of the hallway. The loud swoosh of metallic doors was heard as they entered a room that resembled a laboratory. Test tubes and computers were set along long plastic tables. Papers bearing complicated equations littered the floor.

The guards finally stopped in the far corner of the room, where they strapped Vik down onto a metal bench and propped him up. He had seen enough Sci-fi movies to know what was coming next. This was where they were going to attempt to hypnotize him so that he'd forget what he'd seen. And if that didn't work, they would cut open is head and mess with is brain. As the door across the room opened, Vik forced his eyes shut, and braced himself for whatever they were going to try.

"Open your eyes, boy." Said a rough voice.

"Stay out of my head!" Vik shouted back, even though the voice sounded as if it were only a few feet away. "I'm not going to tell you anything." Vik didn't see it, but something told him that the voice had given a signal to one of the guards, who subsequentially punched him in the face.

"Open your eyes!" The voice said again. Only this time, it was much stricter. Slowly, Vik cracked open his eyelids. The voice belonged to a wiry haired Nu Mou with sunken blue eyes. A pair of thick goggles sat above two white, bushy eyebrows. He was wearing a white lab coat, so it was safe to assume he was a scientist. "Good. Now, how do you know about Hanger 15?"

Vik knew it was in his best interest to lie. Anyone in this situation would have done so. "I don't know anything, I swear!" He responded.

"Wrong answer." The Nu Mou mumbled, nodding at the guard. Undoubted, it was the signal to punch him again.

"Stop right there!" shouted a new voice. The Nu Mou turned around and Vik squinted to make out the distant figure. Nicholas Acheron stormed over to the group, a large string of curses flowing from his mouth. He waved his hands to dismiss the guards before helping Vik out of the bed.

"What are you doing?" growled the Nu Mou, "He's seen too much already! We can't just let him walk out of here just because he's a kid."

"That's not why I'm doing this." The captain said, sighing. He walked up to the Nu Mou and started whispering fiercely in his ear. Upon hearing the first few words, the Nu Mou's expression began to lighten.

"Why didn't you tell me you were Vik Fellcrest!" The Nu Mou said as soon as the captain had finished. He dashed up to Vik and grasped his hands, shaking them ferociously. "I am so sorry, sir. I do hope I haven't caused you any permanent harm."

Vik awkwardly pulled away from the handshake and took a few steps away from the Nu Mou. "Don't worry. I'm just a little shaken up." Vik said, rubbing the bruise on his face.

"What are you doing here, Vik?" Asked the captain.

He untied the brown pilots jacket from his waist. "I just wanted to give this back." He said, handing the jacket to Nicholas. "Now would you mind telling me what all this is about. Like why the customer service lady called the guards when I asked about Hanger 15."

"I'll admit, we did over react a little." The Nu Mou paused to let out a small chuckle. "We're a secret government organization that wishes to remain unknown to the general populace. You were the one who made the mistake of shouting out our name in a public place."

"And what would you have done to me if Captain Acheron didn't show up?"

The Nu Mou laughed again, this time nervously. "You see that machine over there." He said, pointing to his left. In the far corner was a body suits with several medal studs sewn into it. "It's an electro-shock torture suit. You can probably guess how it works."

Vik had a pretty good idea, but he didn't want to think about it. "So did you ever kill anybody."

"Not yet..." The scientist said, smiling. "I just remembered, we haven't been introduced yet. I am Dr. Olivander Nicros, head scientist of the Hanger 15 research division." He gave Vik a low bow, completely oblivious to the boy's embarrassment. He stood back up a few seconds later and walked over to a wooden desk. "Now that we got that out of the way, how about some tea?"

---

Vik stared down at the thick green solution in his mug. The three of them were now seated on top of plastic crates around an oak coffee table in a corner of the lab the doctor had designated 'the sitting room'. "Cream?" Dr. Nicros asked, offering Vik a pitcher of bluish liquid.

"_From what animal?"_ Vik thought as he accepted the pitcher. He gave his cup a quick swig and handed it to Nicholas, who did the same. Cautiously, Vik took a small sip and found that the tea, if you could call it tea, was extremely bitter yet refreshing. It felt like someone had lit a furnace inside his stomach and warmth was spreading throughout his body. "What is this?"

"Ground Rockbeast shell and Antlion milk." The Nu Mou said, enjoying Vik and Nicholas's shocked expressions.

Vik forced down the scalding liquid, trying his best to ignore the heat, taste, and the images he was getting after finding out about the ingredients. "What? I thought all monsters were extinct!" Vik coughed, fanning his tongue.

"They are." Olivander said, adding more cream to his mug. "That's one of the great advantages of working in a Monster Holding Facility. It really helps me satisfy my...unique tastes."

Captain Nicholas promptly set down his mug, trying to subdue the sick feeling in his stomach by immediately changing the subject. "So, how is the alternative doing, Vik?"

"Her name's Saria." Vik said sharply, surprised with the tone of his voice. "And she's doing perfectly fine. She hasn't exploded at all this week, if that's what you want to hear."

"Oooh. Getting protective of her already, are we?" Dr. Olivander commented, smiling devilishly. "But I really can't blame you. She's really something, this _Saria_ as you call her. Why, if I were human and several decades younger..."

"I am not!" Vik protested loudly. "I just don't want you to call her 'alternative' anymore. You're talking about her like she's some kind of object. But she's not! She's an actual _person_!"

Both of the adults seemed rather amused by Vik's reaction, though they did their best to hide it. "You're right, Vik." The captain said finally, "It does sound like we are branding her 'object' but we had nothing else to call her. But rest assured, she is anything but human."

Vik could feel his face heating up. "She thinks for herself, she can feel sadness and anger, she can even eat and speak with manners and knows not to do both at the same time. How can she be anything _but_ human?"

"All that may be true," Dr. Nicros said calmly, "And she can be scientifically classified as human as far as we know. But she is far from normal. I believe you know what I'm talking about."

Vik did his best to avoid the ancient Nu Mou's eyes. He was talking about the incident in the hanger during his last visit. "What was that anyways." He asked, "All I saw was a bunch of light. And when it cleared up, the monsters were dead and Amphion was gone."

Dr. Olivander pressed his fingers together and leaned back against the wall. "That's part of what it was. It was a combination of light and gravity, manipulated in a way no known magic could have accomplished."

"I believe it's time you told us _exactly_ what happened, Vik." The captain gave Vik a stern look, receiving a sigh of defeat from the brown-haired boy.

"If you insist..." Vik began to recollect the day's events, trying to go into as much detail as possible as the two adults listened intently. He purposely skipped the part where he accidentally knocked out Captain Acheron and continued to the part where he was thrown against the glass case. "So I picked up the gun and pulled the trigger. I was aiming for the Nu Mou but..."

"You missed and hit the girl." Interrupted the doctor, "And when you did, you woke her up and in turn, awakened her magic."

"Exactly." Vik said, nodding his head slightly. "The Nu Mou and the Ice Wyrm must have gotten the full blast. There was not a trace of them left behind."

"There's only one thing that doesn't make sense." Nicholas put in. From his pocket, he drew a blue pistol, the same pistol Vik had fired at Saria. "How did you fire this gun? It was designed for moogles and is much too small for human hands."

"What are you talking about?" Vik asked as he picked up the gun and aimed it at a spot on the wall. "It's not hard or anything..." He looked over at the two adults and noticed they had similar expressions of awe. "What?"

"You...you're...actually _holding_ it!" The doctor said breathlessly.

"Oh, this is nothing. I could wear claws too." The two adults only continued to gape at him. Frowning, Vik laid the pistol back down on the coffee table. After what seemed like hours, Dr. Olivander finally spoke up.

"May I see your hand, Vik?" He asked. Awkwardly, Vik stuck his right palm forward. The Nu Mou took a few quick measurements and quickly punched the data into a calculator.

"I don't believe it..." He said after checking over his results for the seventh time, "You're an Omnivari."

Both Vik and Nicholas's mouths fell open, though one from surprise and the other from confusion. "I'm a what?" Vik asked, examining his hand as if there was something on it he had never seen before.

"An Omnivari." The Captain repeated, "A race of beings thought to have gone extinct thousands of years ago."

"That doesn't explain anything," Vik snapped, forgetting everything about manners and courtesy, "What does that have to do with me and why I can hold another specie's weapon?"

"Calm down, boy!" Dr. Nicros waited until Vik quiet before continuing the explanation. "Omnivari are not actually a race or species. It's more of a hidden genetic trait present only in a select few. Among this handful of people, only three or four of them will actually have the Omnivari properties."

"And that is...?"

"It's simple really." The Nu Mou took a long sip from his mug before setting it back on the table. "It means you have the combined traits of all five races. Humans, Moogles, Bangaa, Viera, and Nu Mou. You can use their weapons and wear their clothes, but not with as easily as the equipment's proper race can."

It took a while for Vik to absorb the new information. He always knew he was different. One main reason was the fact that he could never give proper handshakes. His hand never fit anyone's perfectly. As the information swirled around in his head, another memory resurfaced. "Does this mean I can learn say...a Bangaa's abilities as well?" Vik asked, recalling the incident earlier that week.

The doctor chuckled lightly. "Of course not!" He responded, "The Omnivari traits are physical enhancements. Though strength plays a big role in the case of abilities, they are all mental skills and can only be _learned_ by the proper race."

"But I used Chakra!" Vik dissented. "Here I'll show you." He grabbed his mug of scalding hot tea and smashed it against his left arm, succeeding in getting both men to jump out of their seats.

"What the hell are you doing, boy?" Olivander shouted, "Are you mad?"

"Maybe a little," Vik admitted as the purple liquid began to enter the newly opened gash created by shards of porcelain. "But I can fix it right up. Watch." Vik clapped his hands together and concentrated. In his mind, he pictured a ray of green aura encircle his wound. Sure enough, white sparks began to shoot out from the cut as the skin began to recreate itself. Remnants of Rockbeast tea was squeezed out through his pores, which he wiped away as soon as the healing was completed. "See, nothing to it!"

The two men were so surprised that they fell right back onto their crates. "That's incredible..." The captain uttered, "How in the world did you do that?"  
"It's not like the only thing I can do. I can use Earth Render too, but I don't think you'd like it very much if I used it indoors." Vik gave them a little smile, but quickly dropped it when it failed to faze their expressions. "It's not that hard, you know. All I gotta do is picture the green aura with my mind and..."

"Wait," Interrupted Olivander. "Say that last part again."

"All I gotta do is picture the green aura wit my mind." Vik repeated, watching with a puzzled expression as the Doctor got more and more bewildered. "What, did I say something wrong?"

"Pull down your eyelid, boy." He growled. Without hesitation, Vik put two fingers over his right eye and forced it open, giving the doctor a clear view of his iris. As he lowered his gaze to Vik's eye level, he suddenly became pale. "I don't believe it..." He mouthed, "Your eyes...they're...AMBER!"

Vik released his eyelids, allowing him to raise a brow. "Yeah. So what?"

"So what?" The doctor screamed, growing paler by the second, "So what? Do you have any idea what this means?" It was a pointless question to ask, for Vik's impression of ignorance was more than obvious. As soon as Dr. Nicros saw Vik's clueless expression, shock soon turned to aggrivation. "Do you even know how abilities work?"

Vik shook his head shamefully. Sighing, Olivander looked over to Nicholas, who spoke up in an instant. "As you may already know, the presence of magic is constantly around us. There are times when streams of spiritual energy are more abundant than air. In order to capture these streams, special weapons were forged to 'teach' units different abilities. When you come in contact with a weapon, you immediately begin absorbing the magic. When you have enough to last, it means you've 'mastered' it. Abilities are performed by manipulating this earthly flow of magic into a desired shape and form. The user first flows a bit of the magic into the target to designate a course before releasing the full blast. For example, 'Rush' is performed by flowing magic into one's fists and releasing it all in a single punch, generating enough force to knock the person back."

"However, magic cannot move on its own," Continued the Nu Mou, "They respond only to brain waves emitted by certain Races and Animals. You said earlier that you saw streams of green light, am I correct." Vik nodded, not knowing how to do anything else. "Though magic has no mind, they respond only to a select few. You can tell what magic can be controlled by simply looking at their color. Moogle magic is blue, Bangaas: green, Vieras: Purple, Humans: Yellow, and Nu Mous control red colored magic."

"And what does this have to do with eye color?" Vik asked.

"Nothing at all, for your eyes are not the main concern." Dr. Olivander replied. "The presence of amber colored eyes is a sign of an advanced brain frequency. Normally when an ability is performed, the magic disappears seconds after execution. In your case however, the magic recognizes your brain waves as the same as its user and instead, sticks to you. In addition to this, the amber eyes also enable you to see the flow of magic, as you may already figured out. Normally, seeing streams of magic is the only thing you should be able to do. But since you are an Omnivari, you are able to control any of these leftover energies as easily as your own abilities."

"So...I can use any ability there is? Is that what you're trying to tell me?"

"Yes, but there are a few restrictions." The Doctor replied grimly, "First, you can only learn an ability if you are either targeted or the weapon that teaches it to you is at hand. Watching someone perform it is not enough. Second, the magic will not stay with you permanently. You will eventually use up all the leftover aura. You cannot master another race's ability; you are only human and cannot absorb the magic of enchanted equipment."

When the doctor finally finished his explanation, Vik let out a relaxing breath. For some reason, it felt like a huge burden was lifted off his shoulders. Things suddenly got a whole lot less confusing, but one more question was still bugging him. "Who else has these traits?"

"Well, there are about 200 people in this world with Omnivari traits and about 12 of them here in Ivalice right now. Having amber eyes is slightly more rare. Gaol had them, Llednar Twem had them, and so did about two or three other people." He chuckled likely when Vik's mouth fell open again upon hearing the names. "You should be proud, Vik. The Amber Eyes have quite some bit of history behind them."

"And they can come in quite handy in engagement." Nicholas put in, "I expect you'd be getting plenty of join requests."

"No. I'm not going to get a single one." Vik said, smiling. "I'm the leader of a clan. I'll be doing the recruiting."

"Really now?" Nicholas remarked with a small hint of hilarity, "Oh right, I heard about the clan wars program. They say their trying to teach you kids some values but it's really because of the..you know.." Vik nodded. He was obviously referring to the outbreak. "So how's the clan life treating you? Been on any good missions lately?"

"It's been alright so far." Vik answered, "We've been in two engagements already, we won the first but lost the second. As for missions, we haven't been on any yet. The seniors got first picks and they took all the good ones."

"That's too bad..." An look of excitement suddenly flashed across the captain's face. "I know! Why don't you work for the government? And in turn, work for me!"

Vik raised an eyebrow at the suggestion. The idea seemed far-fetched, even to him. "The government? I don't know..."

"Com'n, boy. This is a golden opportunity." Dr. Nicros added, "Not only will you have access to unlimited resources, but we also get special mission request that aren't even available in pubs. And, since we _are_ a government, we'll never stop having problems meaning you'll never run out of missions to do. It pays pretty well, too."

"He's right, Vik." The captain agreed, "Summer is almost here and your school won't be around to dish out requests and rumors. And you're not nearly old enough to enter a pub without an adult with you. So what do you say?"

"Well...you do have a point. Alright, I'll consider it. But I'm going to have to ask my clan first."

"Wonderful!" Nicholas shouted, grasping both of Vik's hands and shaking them so hard Vik's entire body got pulled forward. "Of course, you'll have to go down to the capital and register your clan officially. But as soon as you do, you can start working for us straight away!"

"Great. I'll be looking forward to it." Vik muttered, glancing at his watch. His eyes dilated when he saw that the short hand was nearly at the 7. "My god, I lost all track of time. The last train leaves in 15 minutes!" He shot up onto his feet and gave the doctor a quick bow. "Thank you for the tea, Dr. Nicros. I'll be sure to visit again sometime soon." And before the adults had a chance to say their farewells, Vik was out the door.

---

"Do you think that was wise, Captain Nicholas?" Dr. Nicros said after several minutes of silence.

"What are you talking about?" The captain returned in an annoyed tone.

"Recruiting that boy into our ranks." The Nu Mou said, reaching for his tea. "Getting the government involved with this only means trouble."

"I only wanted to get in on some of the action." Nicholas laughed, "That boy is destined for great things. I just know it. The times ahead are paved with adventure and I simply could not resist."

"Well that's rather selfish of you." The Nu Mou replied, smiling secretly behind his mug. "But I agree, the kid is something special. I still can't believe he has both, the Omnivari traits and the Amber Eyes. The only other person in history who had both was..." The smile from his face suddenly disappeared, replaced only by a thin line. "Do you think he...Vik could be..."

"It is possible." Nicholas admitted, "But this could all be just a coincidence. But there's one thing I'm sure of." The captain's eyes fell on Vik's mug, laying in a dozen pieces on the oak coffee table. "Vik's a dead ringer for him in his younger days."

**A/N:** I had a lot of difficulty writing this chapter. The "RENT" soundtrack is killing my brain cells. Seriously, my sister won't stop playing it and it's driving me insane. It's making me type even slower than usual. I can't even here myself think anymore. God! Make it stop!


	10. To the Capital

**To the Capital**

It was an extremely bright Sunday morning and Vik deeply regretted taking the window seat. Then again, the scenic view of the eastern ocean was pretty awe inspiring, but when a billion-watt ball of gas is shining in your face, you try your best to look the other way. Grumbling, he pulled down a shade of thin fabric over the smudged glass.

"Pull that shade back up!" Demanded a voice next to him. "I'm trying to read, kupo."

"And _I'm_ trying to get some sleep." Vik argued, "I had to get up at 5 AM for this stupid train."

"We _all _did." Kili pointed out.

"Not you. The train arrived at your stop at 7. You had two full hours more of sleep than the rest of us." Vik returned. "And I'm not pulling up the shade so you might as well take a nap."

Kili scowled as he slammed the book shut. "Kupo! I could always move somewhere else, you know." He said, a huge grin spreading across his lips as he began to rise from his chair, "Maybe I should go sit next to Saria..."

"Don't you dare!" Vik said, grabbing the top of Kili's head and forcing him down, which wasn't a difficult task since his companion was barely two feet tall.

As the train turned a corner, the capital finally came into view. It's magnificent skyline was dominated by the towering walls of a marble-brick palace. A proud lighthouse stood at the end of a steep cliff, it's great light extinguished at the moment. Mustard-colored houses with green-and-white awnings were lined up along the shore. The sight would have been breathtaking had the window shade been up. Vik could have made out the vague outline of the great city if he squinted really hard but he had more important things to think about. The night before, he had called up his entire clan (minus Kili) and asked them to meet them at a small cafe at the corner of his block. The conversation they had was still fresh in his mind.

---

"_You did what?" Elena looked like she was about to explode, a look that fit her personality a little too well._

"_I enlisted our clan in a government support program." Vik repeated, eyeing the room for the quickest way to escape._

"_I heard you the first time!" The Viera snapped. She seemed to be the only member at the table who had any sort of reaction. Everyone else was staring at their food in a state of mixed emotions._

_Finally, Mosely looked up from the drink he ordered. "Did you have a reason for doing this?"_

"_We all had fun being in clan, didn't we." Every head around the table nodded in agreement, even Elena's. "Well, school is almost out..." Vik continued, "And I'd hate to see this group break up. Believe it or not, we've come pretty far and we work pretty well together. So I was thinking...maybe we could form a clan. A REAL one this time."_

"_Yeah, we got that much." Said Elena, "But why did you volunteer us to do the government's dirty work?"_

"_We aren't doing their dirty work!" Vik insisted, "The school isn't going to be around anymore and we can't even set foot in a pub. How else are we going to get mission requests. Besides, working with the government yields unexpected rewards and we'll always have a few friends in high places to bail us out."_

"_Ssso instead of lapdogsss..." Hissed Yolando, "We'll be leachesss."_

"_Exactly." Vik said, though the title did seem a bit disturbing. "Besides, we'd be free to accept and decline any mission we want. If we feel one of them is unfair to the other clans, we don't have to take it. So what do you say?"_

"_It sounds reasonable to me." Remarked Saria. "Me too." Mosely replied, nodding in agreement with Yolando. They all turned to Elena, who offered a simple nod of approval before going back to her pasta. _

"_So it's settled then." Vik said, motioning to the waiter for the check. "Tomorrow we'll all go down to New Bervenia and officially register our clan before signing up as a government support group. Now there's one more issue we have to take care of..." A disgruntled bangaa slid a slip of paper onto the table, which Vik looked over quickly. "I'll cover the tip but you're all responsible of paying for what you ordered." And with similar expressions of discontent, the group pooled together their gold._

---

It was nearly 10 o' clock when the train finally pulled into the final stop. A large plastic sign greeted them as they walked off the train, advising them to try the new Bacon Double Cheeseburger. A 5-second escalator ride brought them up to street level. Having missed the view of it on the train ride, Vik was amazed by is size. He had only been there once when he was four years old and at the time, it was well under construction. Vik remembered seeing wooden scaffolding and cement mixers every hundred feet. Now, just a bit over ten years, the town had become a thriving city. Restaurants, Coffee Shops, and stores selling anything you can possibly imagine were line up on either side of the avenue. Cars and buses, along with Chocobo-pulled carts, filled up the space between the two sidewalks, running side-by-side in opposite directions on the blackened pavement.

"Alright guys," Vik announced, "First, we're going to find the Clan Regulation and Census Bureau and..."

"Ooooh!" Squealed Elena, "Those are the cutest pair of shoes I've ever seen! Com'n!" She grabbed Saria around the arm and pulled her into the closest clothing store.

"Hey look! Mystic Quest 4 is finally out!" Kili cried, running into the game store, shortly followed by Yolando.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Vik shouted after them, but to no avail. Growling, he turned back to Mosely, who was quietly walking away. "Don't you leave too!"

"Sorry, Vik." Mosely said, "But there's no need for all of us to go down to the Bureau. You don't need five other people to help you fill out a simple form, do you?"

"No..." Vik replied, "But..."

"There are no 'buts', Vik." Mosely said firmly, "It's not every day that we get to visit the capital. Let them run around. Let them have some fun for once."

"So you were all just going to go off and leave me with all the work?"

Mosely gave a light laugh. "That was the plan." He said, turning around and walking across the street. Vik tried to chase after him but a huge bus pulled to a stop in front of him. Mosley was well out of sight by the time the bus pulled away. (Vik spent a good 10 minutes explaining to the driver, who had an extremely weak grasp on English, that he didn't want to get on). Sighing and already tired from jet-lag, Vik trudged off down the street.

---

It didn't take long for Vik to locate the C.R.C.B building. The establishment stuck out like a sore thumb. While all the buildings around it were made of sandy brick, the C.R.C.B was made of smooth metal. Vik had no idea why this was necessary; it must get pretty hot inside during the summer. But as he stepped inside, he found it to be the exact opposite. An air conditioner cranked up to full blast cooled the area by the door, blowing waves of frigid air at Vik's face. He stood there for a moment, absorbing the ice-cold relief, until he was interrupted by a small cough from the information desk.

"Can I help you?" Asked a tempered Nu Mou.

"Um...yeah. I want to officially register my clan. Because you see there was this..."

"Third door to your right!" The Nu Mou interrupted before going back to her Crossword puzzle. And without doing more than raising an eyebrow, Vik turned the corner and walked into the appropriate room.

Vik didn't think it was possible, but the attendant in the registration department was even less courteous. The Bangaa simply handed Vik a form and went back to twisting his Rubics Cube. At least the form was simple enough. It only asked for the name of the clan and its members; everything else was optional. "Excuse me, where do I turn this in?" He asked the Bangaa, waving the completed form in front of his face. The Bangaa grunted; the universal language of office attendants. Vik just blinked. "Well?"

Growling, the attendant snatched the form out of Vik's hands and looked it over. "There are a lot of empty ssspacesss." He hissed, glaring up at Vik.  
"I didn't know how to fill them out." Vik responded, "Besides, the form said they were optional."

"True..." The bangaa looked over the form once more before turning a weary eye to the computer on his desk. "Alright. I'll run it up for you. You'll have recognition of an official clan leader in about half an hour."

"Thank you." Vik said, offering a small bow before heading out of the room.

He walked back towards the entrance and stopped in front of the information desk again. "Whattya want?" Asked the Nu Mou.

"Which room do I go into to register for the government support program?"

"Not any room here." Th Nu Mou said, erasing number 21 across from her puzzle. "The Judgemaster takes care of these things by himself. You'll have to take your business over to the palace." Vik's jaw dropped upon hearing her words. The Judgemaster? Suddenly, the task at hand got a whole lot more complicated not that he had to talk to the king himself. Another cough from the Nu Mou brought him out of his shock. "If you don't have any more to do here..." She pronounced crossly, "I suggest you leave. We're very busy people."

"Yeah right." Vik mumbled as he pushed through into the bright morning sun.

---

"I wonder how Vik's doing." Kili suddenly blurted out. For a second, Mosely and Yolando gave him perplexed stares; as if they had already forgotten who he was talking about.

"Oh yeah. Vik..." Mosely rejoined, his carefree feeling slowly melting away upon realization. "Yeah, we did leave a pretty important job in his hands. I sure hope he didn't get lost."

"I wouldn't put it past him." Chimed Kili, "Let's stop by the police station later. I'm sure he'd end up there sooner or later; one way or another."

---

The colossal walls of the palace seemed to rise as Vik drew nearer to the front gates. The building dwarfed him and the houses around it a little bit more with each step. The wrought iron doors were coming into view now along with two muscular bangaa guards, both clad in similar red temple robes and carrying identical royal spears. "State your businesss!"One of them growled as Vik approached.

"I'm...I'm here to see the Judgemaster." Vik said quietly. The guards exchanged looks of half amusement.

"Is that ssso..." The Bangaa on the right smiled with the side of his mouth. "Well nobody getsss in here without an appointment. Ssso tough luck, kid."

"But I..._do_ have an appointment." Vik replied. He was lying, of course, and he wasn't making it any less obvious. This only made the Bangaas's grins wider.

"Don't kid yourself, child!" Hissed the other guard, "If you _really_ had an appointment, you would have put on sssomething a little more..._formal_."

Vik looked down at his current apparel. He admitted that it was nothing special; just a blank blue T-shirt and green cargoes but he didn't look _bad_. "Well, I had to take a train here." Vik responded, "And I thought a Tuxedo would look a bit out of place."

"Nice try, kid." The Guard said, smirking. "But you're not getting through these doorsss. Now ssscram before I..."

"Just let him in, kupo." Called a fourth voice.

"Eh?" The two bangaas turned their heads in the direction of the newly emerged voice. They already knew it was a moogle, but that didn't tell them much. The moogle the voice belonged to was standing only a few yards away. He was wearing a green, long-sleeved shirt and orange pants. A pair of Half-moon glasses sat at the end of his nose in front of his dark brown eyes and a feather quill nested safely on his right ear. In his left arm he carried a leather-bound ledger, which was easily half his size. The guards suddenly became petrified when they realized who it was. "M...master Montblanc...Sssir!" Stammered the first guard. "What are you doing here?"

"You have no right to know, Watz!" Snapped the moogle, "Now stop stalling and open this door!"

The Bangaa on the right opened his mouth to protest but received an immediate glare from the moogle. He silently nodded at his partner before pushing open his half of the doorway. At one point in history, it would have seemed funny for a tall, burly Bangaa taking orders from a moogle. But those times were long gone and because they were, Vik was now hurrying through the castle halls alongside Montblanc. Vik was in awe at...well, everything actually. The walls were made of a milky white-white marble, adorned with paintings of previous Judgemasters. Pairs of Corinthian columns ran along the walls, reaching from the red velvet carpet to a gold-plated ceiling. Brass chandeliers were hung every few feet, illuminating the walls with a soft, orange light. Vik wondered how in the world the government could afford this, even with tax dollars but immediately remembered his history teacher saying something about alchemists. Halfway through, he remembered his manners and lowered his head to a bow. "Thank you for helping me back there, sir." He said. The moogle just gave him a weary nod.

"What are you doing here anyways, kupo?" He asked.

"I came to see the Judgemaster." Vik repeated.

"I know that already!" The moogle said abruptly, "I heard you when you were talking to the guards. The judgemaster is a very busy man, you know. Is this an important matter that requires Marche's attention immediately?"

"No...not really. I just wanted to sign my clan up for government support."

"Well if it's not urgent, you should have made an appointment." The moogle pointed out, "You can't just barge in here unexpectedly and request an audience with him. You should have called ahead."

"Then why did you invite me in if you were just going to turn me away?" Vik uttered in an angry tone. He had completely forgotten who he was talking to. Adviser Montblanc was the Judgemaster's closest friend and he could easily had Vik executed if he did as much as raise his voice. Fortunately, the moogle didn't seem to mind.

"No, I'm not going to turn you away." Montblanc said calmly, "I am only giving you a fair warning. Let us know when you're coming next time." He pulled out the ledger and laid it on the ground. The pages were already filled up with names, times, events, and random notes. Montblanc ran his finger along the leaflet and stopped at an empty space in the middle. "Name?" He asked, dipping the quill in a small bottle of ink he produced from his pocket.

"Vik Fellcrest."

The moogle quickly jotted down his name along with a few numbers. He then made a few down-turned arrows at the appointment below it before slamming the book shut. "Marche is in a meeting at the moment. And right after that, he has lunch but he usually finishes early. I'll send for you when he's done. Because of the circumstances, I cannot guarantee you'll have enough time to address the desired matter, but that's what you get with sudden arrivals." He pointed at a room just a little bit off to his right. "You can wait in there until he's ready to see you."

"Thank you." Vik said, bowing again. The moogle rolled his eyes and marched down the halls, muttering to himself.

---

"If you direct your attention to your left, you'll see a picture of the palace's Architect, Nono." Chimed a young Viera in employee uniform. Vik groaned upon hearing this, attracting annoyed glances from the visitors. He had listened to the exact same speech from four different tour guides 17 times already.

"_How can anyone take this long to have lunch!"_ Vik screamed mentally. He had been waiting for over 4 hours already and in boredom, had memorized the plaque on the wall. All 115 names. Something sparked in the back of Vik's head, calling for him to plug his ears. Upon doing so, the tour guide made a ridiculous gesture and the visitors broke out in laughter. _"Lame joke: Right on schedule."_ Vik thought. _"God I hate tour guides."_

The viera gave Vik an angry look before ushering the visitors into the next room. As the door closed behind them, a new group emerged, led by a moogle in a similar uniform. "_I can't take this anymore!"_ Vik thought, pushing past the flock of tourist and back into the hall. He didn't care what Montblanc said, if he had to listen to another tour guide explain the life of Sir Irving Taylor, main contributor to the capital's reconstruction one more time, he would go insane. Something told him to not stray too far away so he entered the room directly across from him. He quickly scanned for tour guides but found it clean. He closed the door behind him before taking a closer look at the room. It appeared to be some kind of sanctuary. Candle stands were set up along the room, bathing everything in a tame, yellow light. Like other rooms, the walls were lined with paintings; seven on the walls on his sides and 6 on the one behind him, displaying noble Nu Mous, elegant Vieras, prominent Humans, courageous Moogles, and Powerful Bangaas. Vik had stopped to study a painting of a moogle brandishing a glove fitted with knives when something caught his eye. In the center of the room was a statue of a hunter. It stood about ten feet high and was made of dusty limestone. It was wearing the normal hunter attire minus the ridiculously flared knicker-bockers. His right hand gripped a jewel-adorned greatbow while his left reached for a quiver mounted on his back. A wolf carved from granite stood defensively at the hunter's heels. For an odd reason, the man seemed strangely familiar to Vik. A brass plaque mounted on the statue's base told him he was Gale Maytron but nothing else. "Wierd..." Vik said to himself as he ran his fingers along the engraved name. "I know I've heard that name before. But where..." He lifted his gaze from the orange plaque and searched the room for anything that might tell him the rooms purpose and his gaze fixed on a door at the end of the room. Seeing nothing else in the room with any significance, he strode over to the door and cracked it open.

"What are you doing in here?" boomed a deep voice from behind, causing Vik to slam the door shut and spin around to face the speaker. Vik was relieved it wasn't a guard but the feeling was overcome by the shock of who it really was. Standing at the opposite end of the room, framed against the doorway was a 20-year-old man clad in silver armor. He had cow-licked blond hair and blue eyes. A crystal judge sword was strapped on his back, glinting softly in the candle light.

"Judgemaster Marche!" Vik gaped, forcing his rigid body into an awkward bow.

"So you noticed." Marche said, his voice heavy with sarcasm as he strode over to Vik. "I'm assuming you're Vik Fellcrest. Correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe you were told to wait in the Hall of Design."

"I was just...lost, I guess." Vik said quietly. It would have been exceedingly less awkward if the circumstances were a bit different, but they weren't. After a few seconds of silence, he finally worked up the nerve to look Marche in the eye and to his surprise, he found them anger-free.

"It's been a long time, Vik. I could hardly recognize you." Marche said, "Then again, the last time I saw you, you were only a baby."

"You...saw me...as..." Vik couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence, but Marche got the idea.

"I sure did!" He said cheerfully. "In fact, I was there when you were born."

"No you weren't." Vik returned, squirming. He was arguing with the most powerful man in Ivalice! "Both of my parents are doctors and they insist on doing home deliveries. They told me they were alone when I was born. Only family members are allowed in the room during the labor and I'm sure they wouldn't have made an exception for you. And if you were there, my parents would have never stopped talking about it. Believe me, no one ever forgets a visit from the judgemaster."

Marche gave him a confused look. "You mean you don't know yet?"

"Know what?"

"Oh...nothing." Marche laughed loudly, making the tension in the room build up even more.

In a desperate attempt to break the silence, he tried to change the subject. "Who's that?" He asked, pointing at the limestone structure.

Again, Marche gave him the same confused look from before but it was quickly shaken off. "Don't they teach you anything in school?" The judgemaster replied. Vik just shrugged, already at a loss of words. Marche shook his head as he walked over to the statue. "His name's Gale Maytron, as the plaque clearly states."

"I knew that already." Vik returned, trying his best not to make it sound like he was talking back. "But _who _is he? What did he do? What makes this place so sacred?"

Marche ran a hand through his mustard hair in frustration. Cautiously, he took a seat on the base of the statue and motioned for Vik to join him. Vik obeyed since he didn't have much of a choice, but sat as far away from the man as he could. "His full name was...is Galen Agenor Maytron." Marche recited. "He was born during the eleventh of Huntmoon in 2197. Graduated 2218 and joined the royal army one year later. By 2220, he was a first class judge official, the youngest ever I believe. Died tragically in 2221 at the age of 24. That's about all I can remember. If you want to know more, you'll have to look up the information by yourself."

"But what did he do to deserve...this?" Vik said, gesturing wildly at the room.

"He was a Martyr."

"A what?"

"He was a servant to his country and he willingly died for it."

"I see..." Vik remarked, taking another look at the statue. "So how did he die?" The question did seem a bit disrespectful to Vik, and the look he got from the judgemaster confirmed this feeling. "Never mind." He said quickly.

"Just why did you come here?" Marche asked.

"I came to sign my clan up for government support." Vik answered.

"Government support? Don't you think you're a bit...young?"

"There's an age requirement?"

"No, not exactly..." Marche answered slowly, "But the work we deal with is extremely grueling. Are you sure your clan can handle it?"

"Of course they can!" At that moment, Vik was so overtaken with confidence he almost sprang out of his seat. "We're ready for anything you throw at us!"

Marche smiled. "That's what I like to here. Just tell me the clan's name and I'll pass a note to the recruitment office."

"Thank you, sir." Vik responded. "Our clan's name is Senbunsu Hebun. I promise, we'll try our best."

The judgemaster's eyes seemed to light up when the name was uttered. "I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

"Sen-bun-su He-bun" Vik pronounced, noticing the expression on the man's face. "Is something the matter?"

"Huh? I mean...no. Nothing's the matter!" Marche replied quickly. Vik couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at this.

"What's wrong? Is it that you can't spell it? It's quite simple, really. Es-ee-en-be..."

"I can spell it just fine!" Marche interrupted. "It's just...how should I say this..._peculiar_, that you chose that name."

"Why? What does it mean? Where have you..."

A loud knock on the door brought Vik's train of questions to a sudden halt.. "Excuse me, Kupo." Came a small but deep voice. "But the ambassador from Jagd Dorsa is here."

"Excellent." Marche called back, lifting himself from the statue's feet and turning to Vik. "I'm terribly sorry but we're going to have to cut this conversation a little bit short. If you ever need to chat, be sure to let me know. I'm sure I can make some time for you."

"Thank you, sir." Vik stood up and offered him a bow, which (to Vik's shock) Marche returned. "I better leave you to your business then. Good bye, your majesty" And with that, Vik started for the exit. His hand was barely an inch from the doorknob when he turned back to the Judgemaster. "By the way..." He began, "What's behind that door over there?" He pointed at the door opposite to him; the one he would have opened had the judgemaster not appeared.

Marche's smile disappeared; though from across the room, Vik couldn't notice. "It's a depressing room filled with regret and remorse." He answered, "It would be best if you didn't look in it." Vik nodded silently. As dense as he was at times, he had always been able to take a hint. If Marche didn't want him in the room, he wasn't going to argue. Gradually, he turned back to the door. A sudden flash of light burst from behind him as his hand made contact with the dark oak. Vik spun around to see what had happened only to find the judgemaster had gone. Shrugging, he pushed his way back into the hall.

---

As soon as the ambassador left, there was another knock on the door of Marche's office. "Enter!" Marche shouted, gathering up all his notes and plans and sweeping them into the garbage bin. The heavy redwood doors opened, allowing Adviser Montblanc access to the room. The first thing he noticed was the Judgemaster's frustrated expression and the trashed plans.

"Hey, Kupo." He greeted with a weak smile, "How'd it go?"

"Let's see..." Marche began, "We didn't last ten seconds before getting into an argument, he spat on me seven times in three minutes, and left right after throwing his drink, glass and all, at my face and saying Clan Hounds would ever surrender their turf to 'Iron Fist Consumerists' like us. All in all, it went pretty well."

"Great." Montblanc replied, sweatdropping. "So how was your meeting with Vik?"

"What else can I say; I'm going to sign him up for government support."

"You did? But what about the test?"

"I didn't have much of a choice." Marche answered, "The palace has fallen on hard times. We need all the help we could get."

There was relentless determination in the human's eyes and Montblanc knew he was in no place to argue. "Does he at least know yet? About the reason behind his gifts?"

"Unfortunately, no." Marche responded grimly, "It seems the martyr made it so Vik doesn't learn anything before he feels he's ready for it."

"And _you_ didn't tell him about it?"

"I don't like to get mixed in with family matters."

"And what if he finds out too soon?"

Marche got up and walked over to the window. It was just past 7 PM and the sun was starting to sink into the jagged horizon; its orange light changing the judge's armor to a rusty gold color. "It does not matter if he learns his true identity ahead of schedule. In fact..." He said, "I hope he does."

---

Vik watched as the plastic hands of the clock strike 7:15. _"Where are they?"_ He thought, scanning the platform. _"The train's leaving in five minutes."_ Behind him, the engine roared to life and the whistle blared, signaling the last boarding call. Just as he was about to get on, he caught sight of them. About five yards away, carrying more paper bags than a small forest can provide, were his fellow clan members. "Hurry up!" He shouted before darting into the train car. Seconds later, the rest of the group joined him.

"What took you so long?" Vik asked as the doors closed and the train lurched forward. "I told you to meet me here at 7! You almost missed the train."

"Sorry. Kili got busted for trespassing." Mosely said as the moogle skulked in shame, "We had to sell a few things to pay the bail."

"And then we had to find the girlsss." Yolando put in, "You should have ssseen them. They were attacking every sssingle clothing ssstore in the area. We managed to track them down by following the trail of ruined department ssstoresss."

Vik stared at them, stupefied. He could honestly say they he had gotten accomplished more today than they did, but when he was asked how his day went, he "accidentally" left out the part with the judgemaster.

---

It was way past midnight when the train came to a complete stop. Jets of steam shot out from the terminated engine as the passengers filed out of their cars. As the now official Clan Senbunsu got up to leave, Vik noticed the pile of shopping bags, still stacked up by the compartment's door. "Hey, don't forget your stuff!" He called at his clanmates' backs. They replied with equivalent looks of confusion.

"Actually, Vik." Saria said, stepping up from behind, "They're all mine."

"What!" Vik shouted angrily, not noticing that Mosely, Yolando, and Elena had snuck away and taken cover behind a row of garbage cans. "How in the world did you pay for them?"

"Um...kupo?" Kili motioned for Vik to kneel down. When he did, the moogle cupped his hands around Vik's ear and whispered. "They were stolen."

Vik immediately turned pale, staring wide-eyed at the packages. Kili took this as a sign to leave and quickly dashed out of the compartment while Saria stared shamefully at the floor. The two of them would have stayed that way if the conductor wasn't going around; checking to make sure every compartment was empty. "You kids bettah git goin'" He said, shining his flashlight in their faces. "Ah' reckon you lot got school tommarra."

"I'm so sorry, sir." Vik said, grabbing the packages and motioning for Saria to follow him. "We were just looking for something. We'll be going now."

"Well mebe Ah' could help find eet'. Just tell me what you folks lost."

"No, that's alright." Vik replied, already on the platform. "It wasn't important. Thanks anyways!"

"You kids take care of y'selves now!" He called after them. But he was only hollering at the wind, because the metal platform was empty and Vik and Saria were nowhere in sight.

---

Vik would have liked to call a taxi but he had just spent all his savings on the tickets to New Bervenia. Because public transportation had already stopped running, Vik was forced to carry the bags home by whatever way he could. And by that, it meant hanging the bags by his hands, arms, shoulders, teeth, ears, and neck. He looked absolutely ridiculous, but at least he was getting the job done. Saria trailed behind him, clutching the few bags Vik couldn't find a place for. They walked in silence along the deserted street. A cough or sneeze was exchanged every now and then, but they did their best to avoid the other's gaze. After what seemed to be a lifetime of stillness, Saria finally spoke up. "Look, I'm really sorry." She began. "They were all just lying there and I didn't know that..."

"No. It wasn't your fault." Vik cut in. Saria's embarrassed expression suddenly turned to surprise and then to confusion. "I was mine." He continued. "I never took the time to teach you about money. And _stealing_."

Saria started dragging her feet, allowing herself to fall back a couple feet. "So what do we do now?" She asked timidly.

"Well, we can't just return them. We left that option a couple hundred miles back at the capital." Vik responded. "I guess the only thing was _can_ do is just pretend they were gifts." His arms were beginning to get a rash from the cardboard handles so he decided to take a rest. He laid the bags down by the sidewalk and flopped down on the curb. "Did you really steal all of this?" He asked, staring astonished at the brown parcels.

"Every single thing." Saria said, trying to conceal the pride in her voice.

"As immoral as this is, it's pretty impressive." Vik admitted, checking the contents of each bag. Each one was full of clothes, all tightly folded and piled to the top; enough to bring Saria's modest wardrobe up to normal standards. _"Well, that's one less thing to worry about."_ Vik thought. He was not looking forward to living through another Madame Magnifique fiasco again. "So did you get any underwear?" He asked, trying his best not to make it sound perverted.

"What's underwear?" The girl replied with a lost and innocent expression back on her face.

Vik stood up and grabbed the bag. As cute as she is when she's like this, there was no way Vik was going into forbidden territory. "Let's go." He said, taking off down the street followed closely by a curious Saria.

**A/N:** Woohoo! Finally, some of the original characters made an appearance. Though two is nothing to brag about. But I promise every character from the game will make an appearance, including your friendly neighborhood Biskmater! Anyways, this story is FAR from over but unfortunately I can't say the same thing about the summer. School will be starting soon and updates will probably get slower. I'll try to fit in one more chapter before the end of the week but it's not likely. I've got some things to take care of that I distinctly set for the last minutes of vacation.

---

**Marche:** Why did that train conductor have a southern accent? We're not even in America.

**Montblanc:** And why did you have a random scene right in the middle of the story? It had nothing to do with the developing plot!

**Author:** Shut up! It's my fanfic and I can do whatever the hell I want. Now dance!

**Marche and Montblanc:** What?

**Author:** Dance! Or lightning shall rain down over your condemned souls!

**M & M**(hehe. I made a joke) +Dances+


	11. Organized Crime

Hello, readers. What you're looking at right now is the remains of 'Organized Crime'. It wasn't that important and I didn't really like it so I decided to tear it down. But don't worry, I'm not just going to leave this part empty. I'll fill it in, trust me.

Stay tuned for updates.


	12. Summer Jobs Are the Worst

**Summer Jobs Are The Worst  
**

It was a tradition Vik partook in every summer. On the first Monday of the holidays, Vik brings his alarm clock out into the backyard and smashes it with an aluminum baseball bat. "Why are you doing this again" Asked Saria, who had been sitting on the back porch steps watching him go ballistic.

"Revenge, of course." Vik answered simply. "This infernal machine has been waking me up at 6 AM every morning for the past 14 months!"

"But how will you know what time it is?"

"I don't care what time it is!" Vik exclaimed with burning seriousness. "I'll wake up when I feel like it."

"You possess an extremely deformed perception of living." Saria remarked, walking up to examine the twisted frame of the time-keeper.

Vik shrugged. "You all just don't understand me."

"What's there to understand?" Saria said, poking Vik in the stomach. "You're crazy. It's as simple as that."

Vik laughed. Saria was finally developing a sense of humor. Then again, after spending every waking hour watching reruns of oldie sitcoms, one would eventually learn how to laugh. And Saria was especially intrigued by the television. During the school year, Vik's father locked 'the idiot box' in a wooden crate, saying it interrupted with studying time. But now that it was summer, the Fellcrest family decided to celebrate by unlocking the box and watching the complete first season of _Get Smart _(Cus Marche brought it over from the "real" world). Saria became completely engrossed by the achievements of modern entertainment and spent most of her time in front of the TV. "We've got to do something!" Mr. Fellcrest complained one day, "She loses intelligence with every minute she spends in front of that wretched noise box! We can't let a mind of that calibur just waste away in one summer. Her parents would kill us!"

"I know it may be unhealthy, dear." His wife responded, frowning as Saria popped open her sixth can of cola. "But I think she deserves a rest. A person can only get where she is by countless hours of studying. She told me she never saw a television before."

A loud bell echoed from the front door, bringing Vik's destructive state of mind to a sudden halt. "Cover for me." He said, handing the bat to Saria as he walked back into the house. Impatient knocks banged against the front door as he strode along the hall. "I'm coming!" He called across the room. "If you're bleeding to death, cut the formalities and let yourself in!" Vik pulled the door open, revealing a Bangaa dressed in Blue and Orange cloth. "Yolando! Good morning!"

"O hayoo gozaimasu." The bangaa responded, leaving Vik with a blank stare.

"Gesundheit?"

"It mean good morning in Japenessse. I get it from my mom'sss ssside of the family."

"Why can't you just say hello like a normal person." Vik grumbled, standing aside to let his friend enter. "So what's with the new threads?"

"Well, sssince we are an official clan, we're required to where the proper outfit for the job we ssselected." Though it was somewhat hard to tell, Yolando was wearing a White Monk outfit. These days, designers have finally gotten around to making the job outfits interesting, yet distinguishable. Yolando's outfit had many similarities to the original one, but with a few modifications. The hood that was once permanently fixed onto the head through the magic of starch was now hanging loosely on the Bangaa's back. The sleeves were cut off a little bit past the elbows, revealing a small coat of chain mail beneath his armor. The pants were bound around the ankles by leather belts, giving way to a pair of violet dash boots.

"That's what I meant." Vik said, "Didn't your parents want you to become a Warrior?"

"I managed to convince them to change their mind. They told me I could be a White Monk if I could get my brother to become a defender. He didn't even think twice when I offered him my 'place in the family'."

"So you're a Monk now, huh? Congratulations."

"Thanksss." Yolando hissed. "Ssso where's your uniform? We are ssstarting work today, aren't we?"

Vik nodded. Yesterday, they had each received a note from the Bagabu Airport, telling them to report in at noon. At first, the other clue members found it strange that they were going to work in an airport but decided there had some sort of reason for it. "I haven't decided on one yet."

"Well, let'sss figure out our optionsss. We don't want any copycat jobsss, that's for sssure. Mosely already took Sssoldier and Kili called dibsss on thief. Elena'sss becoming an Archer. And you're definitely not cut out for the magician jobsss." Vik scowled. They were making jabs at his intelligence again. "Well, lookss like you're out of optionsss. You'll have to pick one of the jobsss that have already been taken."

"Oh, I already have a job." Vik responded, "I just haven't picked out a costume."

The bangaa, who are completely body-hair free, raised the bumpy skin above his eyes into a lopsided position; it was the closest they would ever come to the popular human gesture. "You've lost me."

Vik smiled and raised his palm to Yolando's eye level. "I'm an Omnivari." Vik knew if there was one person who knew what he was talking about, it would be Yolando. And the surprised expression on the bangaa's face told him he was right.

"Are you ssseriousss?" Yolando hissed.

"I don't know how to joke about these things." Vik answered truthfully.

"Well, you do know that an Omnivari isn't actually a job classs, right? You don't get any ssspecial abilitiesss, only an unlimited weapon range."

"I know. That's what these are for!" Vik said, pulling down both of his lower eyelids.

Yolando took a close look at his pupils for several seconds before pulling back. "What am I sssupposed to be looking for?" He asked.

"_I guess he doesn't know everything."_ He thought as he released his eyelids. "They're Amer Eyes." He explained, "I can learn any ability used on me."

"Riiiight..." Yolando responded, rolling his eyes. "So are we going or what?"

Vik frowned. He had to admit, the whole thing did seem a bit unbelievable. He just wasn't expecting this kind of reaction. "Yeah. Just let me grab a few things first." He answered before running off the get Saria.

---

Mosely and Elena greeted them at the train station, each donning their respective duds. Mosely's soldier costume was composed of a coat of blue-tinted chain mail and a iron chestplate. A cape of red fabric rested lightly on a pair of pale green camos. The midriff of Elena's two piece archer outfit was covered up by a milky-white corset. A lone Genji Armlets was strapped onto her left wrist and a bracer onto her right. Vik grimaced with jealousy at the expensive pairs of Ninja Tabi adorn on both their feet. "Lucky rich bastards." He muttered angrily as they boarded the 11 o' clock train.

Vik was glad that he wasn't the only one in the group who wasn't in uniform. Saria had yet to pick a profession. She had walked along the displays of weapons during the clan wars program at school and came up empty. The other clan members urged her to become a white mage, since they were missing a healer, but she declined the suggestions. The only thing they could do was bring her along with them to the airport and hope to find a career advisor there.

The hour-long train ride was mostly spent playing poker and for reasons no one could understand, Saria always got all the Aces. When they finally arrived in Bagabu, they found Kili waiting on a bench. He, too, was wearing a uniform; a green cloak over a yellow Brigandine and knee-high boots. Holes were poked in the green bandanna around his head for his ears and puff-ball to stick out. "You guys sure took your time." He said crossly as his fellow clan members approached him. "Come on. It's already 12:20!"

The same moogle attendant Vik had met during his last visit greeted them at the front door, wearing the usual fake smile. "Clan Senbunsu, I presume?" She asked, receiving nods from everyone. "Kupo. Right this way, please." She led them up a long flight of stairs and through a busy food court. She casually waved at the Nu Mou standing guard at the check point, allowing Vik's clan to skip the common security measures. "The hanger has been under repairs for the past week due to the outbreak." The attendant explained as they continued down the strip of terminals. "So you're reporting straight to Central Intelligence, kupo."

"What's she talking about?" Elena inquired.

"I honestly don't know..." Vik responded, trying to ignore the awkward glances from the customers. The group finally came to a stop at the last terminal in front of a large plastic 15. The moogle walked straight towards the first class entrance and ushered them in. The room didn't look all that special. Like all airports, security was the number one issue. Small, black domes were hung at every corner of the room. The walls were covered by wallpaper of assorted flowers, a large improvement over the white-washed hallways but it was nothing to brag about. On the opposite wall, there was a small hallway that led to the front of the plane which, at the time, was missing. The red and orange checkered floor was interrupted by a large red square painted right in the middle of the room. The imperial crest of the judgemaster, a amber-colored chocobo bearing a palm leaf, was in its very center.

"Please step inside the red square, kupo." She ordered before stepping onto the center crest. Curiously, the rest of them gathered around her while throwing suspicious glances at the cameras on the walls. "Keep your hands at your sides at all times." The attendant called out, removing a egg shaped device from her shirt pocket. She aimed it at the sphere to the left of the door and squeezed, sending a beam of red light to the shiny surface. Elena gave a small gasp as the floor beneath them suddenly lurched. The ones standing near the edge of the square jumped back in surprise as the floor outside the box began to rise. This was all happening because they were sinking, of course. When they were about ten feet down, two metal slabs slammed shut over their heads, sealing up the entryway.

A wave of darkness swept over the small platform, immediately followed by a squeal of terror. The lights came on a second later, revealing half a dozen surprised faces. It didn't take long to track the scream back to Saria, who was clutching fearfully onto a blushing Elena. "She's not used to the dark." Vik explained to his teammates, who inevitably turned to him for answers.

The elevator ride lasted about five minutes, finally coming to a stop in front of a wide hallway. A soft, yellow light from florescent ceiling lamps flooded into the platform. "Right this way." The moogle repeated, leading them down the hall to a pair of sliding, metal doors. "This is as far as I'm aloud to go. Kupo, do you remember how you got her? No? Well, too bad!" The moogle shot them all an evil smile before striding back to the elevator. Vik watched to make sure she left before turning back and examining the doors. To their right were three small boxes with a black squares, similar to the one Vik found at the Hanger. One was 5 feet from the ground, the second was three and a half, and the third was 1 foot. "They're Retinal ssscannersss." Yolando observed. "You can tell becaussse they ssset up each according to each race'sss average sssizesss."

Vik looked over the boxes and shuddered as memories from his past experience returned. He remembered the concealed needle in the thumbprint scanner in the Hanger and a poke to the eye would be ten times worse. Still, he was the only person there who was even registered in the database so after five minutes of nagging, he walked up to the boxes and lined his eye up with the square. He was now staring into a net of red lasers that reminded him of a grocery store scanners. After a few loud beeps and a whirring sound, the lock clicked open and the doors swung inwards. "You're late..." Said a voice as soon as the doors opened.

"Hello to you too, Dr. Nicros!" Vik said cheerfully as he and the others stepped into the...actually, Vik didn't know what to call it; it was both, a hallway and one big room. They had walked onto a narrow bridge, spanning over a network of cubicles and laboratories. Employees and other authorized personnel worked diligently on desktop computers and metallic folding tables. A pair of glass elevators shafts resembling plastic drinking straws was built into the each wall. Above them, several other bridges hung by thick metallic wire, connecting second and third floor entryways to the lifts. Olivander and Nicholas stood at the middle of the bridge, wearing completely opposite expressions.

Captain Acheron was glowing with pride when he noticed the clan's looks of amazement. Olivander, on the other hand, was fuming. "Have you seen the clock? You're over half an hour late!" He shouted, jumping up and down in a child-like fashion.

"Calm down, Oliver." Nicholas interrupted, "It probably wasn't their fault..."

"It's their fault for not arriving earlier!" The Nu Mou protested. "I told each of you specifically in the letters I sent you: Arrive by 12 o' clock! Do you have any idea how weird you looked walking into the first class entrance of a terminal when a plane **isn't even there**!"

"You'll have to excuse his behavior." Nick explained to the clan members, who were slowly starting to shrink back. Behind him, the angry doctor continued his rant. "He's just really cautious about not being found out. In case you haven't noticed yet, we're sorta a secret organization. The reason we wanted you to come here at noon was because a plane would have already docked at Terminal 15 by then. Because you see, when our employees report in for work, they have to make it look like they're boarding the plane. They of course, take the concealed elevator down here and the jet takes off without any passengers. Clever, isn't it?"

The clan members just stared, most of them with open mouths. Finally, someone asked the obvious question. "What the hell isss thisss place?"

It took the adults a split second to realize three new faces were present (four for Olivander, who had never met Kili). "Oh, I'm sorry. We haven't been properly introduced!" The Nu Mou said, ceasing his ramblings. "I am Dr. Olivander Nicros, head scientist and vice president. And this," He gestured at the blond man next to him, "Is Captain Nicholas Acheron, founder and director of this here operation. On behalf of everyone here, we welcome you to the Foundation of Paranormal Archeology and Defense!"

The wide eyed stares from the three newcomers gazed in disbelief at the Nu Mou and their surroundings before turning onto their leader. "Vik..." Mosely said solemnly, "What have you gotten us into now?"

---

**A/N:** A message to those who never heard of _Get Smart_: What the hell is wrong with you? How could you NOT know about one of the greatest secret agent shows of all time? I ought to shoot you with my Professor Peter Peckinpah All-Purpose Anti-Personnel Peckinpah Pocket Pistol. No, I'm just kidding. I can't blame you if you've never seen the show. I only started watching it because I don't have cable. And I don't know everything there is to know about the show. I just picked up a few tidbits from random websites. For those of you who _have_ heard about it, you might also know that Don Adams has recently passed away. Let us take a moment out of our lives to mourn.

Anyways, sorry for the late update and all. You can blame the following items: Crapload of homework, School, daily notes, homework, sister taking over my computer 'cus her's blew up, artwork for webcomic, homework, and the fact I had hit yet another pothole in the flow of the story. School's as evil as ever. The class I probably hate the most is American Literature, followed closely by Chemistry. But French class is nice and I'll be using it in future chapters cus' through brilliant deduction, I've concluded that St. Ivalice is a town in France. You could tell because of the French first names (Marche, Montblanc, Ritz). It's really painful to write a story that takes place during the summer. I can't wait until Winter Break.


	13. Career Advice

**Career Advice**

"Do you really expect us to believe that?" Vik was back in Dr. Nicros's 'tea room'. He had just finished filling the three of them in on all the past month's events, aided by a few side comments from Kili and Nicholas. Just as he predicted, the others weren't buying it. "It's crazy!" Elena finished.

"But it's the truth," The Doctor responded as he emerged from his office carrying a tray of mugs. "whether you choose to believe in it or not. Just saying it isn't so doesn't make it certain."

Simultaneously, they all turned their gazes to Saria, who was pretending to admire the chemistry equipment in the corner as she eavesdropped on their conversation. "I thought you said she was born in a test tube." Mosely remarked, his emotions a mix of fear, wonder, and confusion.

"Well, she sort of was." Vik answered, "Except it wasn't really a tube. It's more of a sphere."

"And that'sss why you wanted to keep her a sssecret?"

Captain Nicholas nodded."Precisely. If the palace got word of what we were doing, they'd shut us down immediately. So Vik volunteered to help keep her safe." The tree of them gave Vik a surprised look, who rejoined with an expression that said 'I was tricked.'

"But if you wanted to keep her secret, why did you send her out into the public?" Elena asked.

"When you're trying to stay hidden, your main objective is to not attract attention." The Captain answered. "If we were to keep her here, sooner or later someone is bound to notice something. You have to admit, a girl living in a lab is pretty suspicious and that draws attention. But if she were to blend in with modern society, people would pass by her and not give a second glance. She'll be _normal_, if that's what you want to call it. She has a population of 15 million to hide in."

The facts were hard to swallow, but they were finally convinced. "I can't believe she has so much power..." Elena said quietly. "She seemed so..."

"Human? Yeah, I know exactly how you feel." Dr. Nicros cut in, "But you mustn't be fooled by this. There's no telling what she's capable of."

"What are you trying to say?" Vik said angrily, feeling himself slowly rise from the seat. "That she's some sort of threat to us?"

"No, not at all!" Olivander assured, "It's just that we don't fully understand her powers yet. If you're not carefull around her, she might lose control and you'll end up like that Nu Mou." It must have been a good answer, since nobody could find a reason to argue. There was probably something interesting in the mugs, because everyone was staring down at them without speaking. After several minutes of this, a meek voice broke through the silence.

"You guys aren't..._scared_ of me now, are you?" Saria asked, her fist clutched to her chest.

"Of course we're not!" Elena said, immediately brightening up. "We're your friends. We know you wouldn't hurt us intentionally."

"We understand how hard it must be for you, kupo." Kili added, "Though none of us can relate, we'll try our hardest to help you through this!"

"And who knowsss, maybe your little ability could come in handy. It's not a curssse, but a gloriouss gift!" Yolando concluded.

Saria smiled with relief. "Thank you." She whispered.

This was obviously one of those special moments that the group would one day want to look back on so the captain decided to wait a few moments before speaking up. "Ahem. Now that that's out of the way..." He began, "Why don't you kids take a tour of the premises. I'm sure Dr. Nicros would be all too happy to show you around and point out some points of key interest. Vik, Saria; I'd like to speak to the two of you in private. Please come with me." Vik and Saria exchanged a look of uncertainty before following the captain back onto the bridge.

---

"So what did you want to talk about." Vik asked as soon as they were out of earshot. "It you wanted to know how Saria's been, she's doing perfectly fine."

"Yes, I've heard. Twenty-third place in a class of 500 students. Congratulations." The teen's reaction, which happened to be nervous laughter, was a tad off what the captain expected but he chose to ignore it. "Anyways, the reason I called you out here is because I noticed you weren't exactly...dressed properly."

The two of them weren't wearing anything inappropriate. Vik was wearing his usual attire, Hooded T-shirts and Cargo Pants while Saria wore a plain, yellow sun dress. Sure, she was wearing one of his sister's old one-piece bathing suits as underwear but it wasn't anything out of the ordinary. But that wasn't what Nicholas meant and both of them knew that quite well. "Um...the reason we're not in uniform is..." Vik began but Saria beat him too it.

"We haven't chosen jobs yet!" She blurted. The look Nicholas gave them in response to this told them it wasn't exactly the most widely accepted answer possible.

"That's it? That's your excuse." The teens shrugged. "Well, you should have said something sooner! Hold on a sec." He reached into his back pocket and retrieved a walkie talkie. After mumbling something inaudible to anyone but his secretary, the elevators at the end of the bridge opened and a middle-aged viera walked out. She wore a white lab coat over a white blouse and red jeans. A common stereotype was confirmed when Vik realized she was carrying a clip board under her arm and a pencil behind her ear.

"Good afternoon, Nicholas." She said, offering him a small bow before turning to the teenagers. "You must be Vik and Saria. Captain Acheron has told me so much about the two of you. I'm Dr. Gelesia."

"Dr. Gelesia is a job instructor who specializes in female classes." Nicholas explained to Saria. "She'll help you find a profession and select your equipment." He turned back to the Viera and smiled. "Thank you for coming, Krystal. I hope I'm not keeping you from something important."

"No, not at all!" She responded, immediately staring down at the ground as her face began to redden.

"Excellent. Please take Saria here down to your office and help her pick out a job. We'll be waiting for you on the third floor when you're done."

"Yes, sir." She stammered, bowing quickly and motioning for Saria to follow her. The girl was a bit hesitant to do so but after an assuring nod from Vik and Nicholas, she sprinted down the hall after the Viera.

"Now, what do we do about you...?" The captain said as soon as the two females disappeared down the elevator shaft.

"You don't have to do anything." Vik answered. "I already have a job."

"Oh, really?"

"Yup. I'm gonna be a full time Omnivari!" Vik announced."I'll use whatever weapon I want and copy whatever ability is thrown at me. It's the ideal profession for slackers like me!"

Nicholas chuckled. "That's a very intriguing way of looking at it." He observed, "But no matter which way you look at it, it's a job nonetheless. So where's your uniform?"

"I don't have one." Vik replied simply. "I went over to Ramsen's Armory the other day and asked for an Omnivari ensemble and they kicked me out; said I was wasting their time."

"I see..." Vik stared curiously as the captain paced over to the side of the bridge, rubbing his chin. "You know...I think I might have something for you!" Nick said, his eyes lighting up. "Come with me. And try not to get lost." He swept past Vik and strode down the bridge towards the drinking-straw elevators. Vik wasted no time in following him, seeing that there was no point in staying stationary.

---

The second the captain's back disappeared through the doors, the teens began to do what they do best: question authority. Not one of them dared to raise a voice against Nicholas, who's image was an epitome of sovereignty. But the wiry-haired moogle who they were left with didn't even come close to that impression. And, as it was expected, Elena acted first. "Not to sound rude or anything," She began, "But why are we even here? Why do you even need a support clan?"

The Nu Mou chuckled. "My dear," He chided, "We are the government. You know how we are when it comes to getting hands dirty. Whenever we want something retrieved or someone killed, we send you to do it."

"Can't you just put up pub requests, kupo?" Kili put in.

"We do with a few of our missions. But a majority of our activities we'd like to keep...confidential. There a people..._rebels_ out there who are just _dying_ to know what we're up to." Dr. Nicros gave them a devilish grin, which only creeped the four out further.

"But why do we have to be _here_!" Mosely protested, gesturing wildly at the 'madness' around them. "Can't you just send your request through the mail? Or leave them in a suitcase in a dumpster somewhere every Tuesday?"

"No." Olivander answered firmly. "When you are not on a mission, you're expected to work here. So look around and find something you'd be interested in. You can't find one? Fine, we'll give you whatever odd job we can, whether it be janitor or test subject. It's gonna be a long summer so you might as well make the best of it."

It was pretty clear now that the four of them were losing the battle of dominance. The Nu Mou may be weak, but he had a way with words. Slowly, they were losing the will to contravene. Grimacing nervously, they made one final attempt to sway their own opinions. "And why are we doing this again?"

The doctor's answer was plain and simple. "Money, fame, and power. The three main objectives of a person's life, are they not? Now if you'd follow me," The teens must have accepted the answer, because they were silent from the beginning of the tour till the very end.

---

Dr. Gelesia's office was more of a museum than a workplace. It was about the size of a regular tennis court with red carpet and Japanese tea-room style walls. Two rows of lights were strung along the ceiling in the form of yellow orbs. Mannequins dressed in uniforms from Viera jobs were lined up against the walls, sealed up in plexiglass containers. The desk was at the very end of the room, piled high with costume designs and scientific formulas. In the center of the room was a glass pedestal surrounded by computer equipment. Spotlights with brown-colored lightbulbs encircled the pedestal and a large robotic arm slowly revolved around it. It took a while for Saria to remember the proper response but it finally came to her, she still sounded a bit unsure. "Wow...it's incredible!" She said, silently doubting her words.

The Viera smiled proudly. "It's my life's work." She professed.

Saria slowly approached one of the plexiglass containers, marveling the Sniper outfit inside it. "Where did you get all these?"

Krystal laughed. "They're all mine. The outfits of every job I ever had are in this room right now."

"You had all these jobs?"

""Not only did I have them, I mastered them!" She said, slightly embarrassed. "You see, I didn't really excel in anything so I tried my best with every job possible."

Saria continued to wander along the wall, stopping in front of every display. But as she came onto the last case, an odd feeling overcame her. The mannequin inside was dressed in a dark, velvet dress over a black leotard and knee-high stockings. Two large slits were cut on either side of the skirt, running up the length of the thigh. The name plate reading 'Red Mage' was placed next to a pointed hat. "Is something bothering you?" The doctor asked when she noticed Saria's somewhat devout stare. The girl immediately shook off the feeling and shook her head. "No, everything's fine." She answered.

"That's a relief. You kinda looked out of it for a second there."

Saria gave her a baffled stare. "Out of what?"

At first, Dr. Gelesia thought the girl was kidding so her initial response was to laugh. When she realized the girl wasn't laughing with her, she knew it had been a serious question. "Nothing! It's just something we say when a person looks completely overwhelmed by something. They get this sort of blank stare on their face...kinda like the one you're using on me now!" Saria quickly turned her gaze to the floor, quickly uttering an apology under her breath. Krystal laughed again. "Anyways, I've got to go prepare some test to find the proper job for you. Why don't you look around a bit more. I'll call you when I'm ready."

What the viera was doing, Saria had no idea. She had gone back to staring at the last display. An odd feeling of familiarity came over her, the exact same feeling she felt when Vik gave her her name. She reached forward to touch it but was stopped by a quarter-inch of plexiglass. _"Why..."_ She thought, _"What's wrong with me? Why do I feel like this?" _Her eyes swept along the length of the mannequin, stopping at an area around the stomach that was clearly haphazardly patched. Saria moved her fingers over the three long streaks of jagged thread. She closed her eyes, trying to imagine where it might have come from. Suddenly, a jolt of white light leapt from the patch to her hand and the image of a three-fingered claw tore through a scarlet background. Only this was more than an image; Saria could feel the sting of the talons cutting through her, the chill from her clothes growing damp from the wound, and the strength drain away as her life pooled onto the floor. She immediately backed away from the case and right into the back of Dr. Gelesia.

"Hey! Watch where you're going!" The viera said rather rudely. Saria was a bit shocked since she expected a reaction of fright and alarm, since she was mortally wounded and all. But because Krystal's angry expression was unfaltering, Saria lifted the hand that was pressing against her wound and inspected it. No blood, no rip, there wasn't even any evidence of injury.

"S...sorry." She said weakly, breathing with relief. "I thought I saw something. Turns out it was just in my mind."

"Uh huh." The Viera responded. She was, of course, completely unconvinced but Saria, who had not come to fully understand the word 'sarcasm', believed she was. "Now if you're quite done with your antics, I've got everything ready. We can start looking for a job whenever you'd like."

"Actually, I think I want to be a Red Mage." Saria blurted.

Krystal didn't know how to feel. On one hand, she was furious because she went through all that work to help this girl find a job while on the other, she somehow felt glad she had chosen. "Well this is out of the blue!" Krystal remarked, boxing up her anger so her face appeared overjoyed. "But are you sure this is what you want? You're not just choosing this just because the outfit looks cute or something?"

"I'm sure." Saria answered.

"Alright. You'll have to master a few fencer abilities first, of course. I'll go write up your Clan I.D and send it to Central. It might take a few days to get you registered so you might not want to start training until you get your letter of confirmation. Those account for some pretty heavy fines." She walked back to her desk and pulled out a form from underneath one of the stacks. It was several moments later when she realized that the girl was still standing there, staring at the last display. "You can go now!" She exclaimed, "Dr. Nicros is waiting for you on the third floor, remember?"

"Oh! Right!" Saria uttered, jerking herself away from her trance and sprinting clumsily to the door. She was only a yard away from the entrance when a question crossed her mind. Gradually, she slowed to a halt and turned back to the doctor. "Just out of curiosity..." She began, "I noticed a rip in the costume at the end over there. How'd it get there?"

"I got attacked by a panther." The Viera answered without taking her eyes off her work. "You're still young so you probably don't remember them. They're like giant, red Dobermans with metal collars. You might not have noticed because of the fabric color, but I bled a whole lot from that wound. Nasty beasts, those Panthers are."

"Yeah. I know what you mean." Saria whispered.

"What?" The Viera looked up from her desk only to find the girl had already left.

---

When the elevator came to a complete stop, the metallic chrome doors opened onto a white-paneled passageway. Evidence of plumbing and framework were still visible and were the closest things to decoration in the vast hallway. The captain stepped out even before the doors fully opened and rushed down the corridors. Vik had to jog to keep up with him. "Where are we?" He asked after passing several security cameras and heavily-armed guards.

"These are Hanger 15's top-security vaults. I'm sorry about the accommodations, but it's not like we could hire an interior designer. Unless he agreed to be executed immediately after the project."

"No. It's lovely." Vik responded, staring at the patterns of water leaks on the walls. They continued down the passage, passing door after door of solid steel before stopping at a vault with the number 615 carved into the center.

"The judgemaster asked us in person to store this here. And he had good reason to." The captain pronounced proudly. "This baby consists of 6 layers of mithril-infused titanium, each unlocked by it's own individual combination. Not even a tank can break into here."

"Can't they just burrow under it?"

"Nope. The last floor of the basement is built right up against a thick layer of Diamond rock. It'll take them over 5 years to drill through that."

"Well, if whatever's in these vaults worth those years of effort?"

"It might be...for a few people." The Captain answered, pressing his hand against a brick in the wall. To Vik's surprise, the square lit up, revealing a touch-sensitive computer screen and a gel pad. He pressed his left hand onto the pad while his right punched 6 complex codes into the screen. "Praeter lex ex tantum duex!" He pronounced clearly. It took about 10 seconds to process these bits of identification. A row of green bulbs lit up above the doors as the metal doors peeled back. The two of them were hit with a cloud of frost as the final layer slid back. When the fog cleared, a single mannequin, dressed in white clothes, came into view. The captain motioned for Vik to enter. _"Go on!"_ Vik's mind shouted,_ "He's not going to lock you in...I think."_ Taking a deep breath, he stepped inside the vault.

Vik would have been lying if he said the contents of the safe was just as he expected, which was probably a suit of armor crafted from gold or diamonds. The actual contents were far from it. It didn't take long for Vik to realize it was a modified hunter outfit. A hooded white vest was pulled over a yellow long-sleeved shirt. A small white cape, supported by a leather belt, hung down to the elbows. A coat of chain mail could be seen poking out from the open collar but was tucked firmly into a pair of leather pants. "So, what do you think?" The captain asked from outside the room.

Vik carefully chose his words, doing his best not to sound rude. "I don't see anything special about it."

"Of course you can't see it! You have to try it on."

As common as the words sounded, they seemed extremely odd to Vik. It was mostly due to the set up; had this been in a normal looking room or armory, Vik wouldn't have had a problem. But he was not ready to try on something that had been locked up in a walk-in refrigerator for who knows how long. "Do I have to?" He moaned. The only response he got out of Nicholas was a stern look. Sighing in defeat, he pulled the top, chain mail and all, right off the mannequin and forced it over his head.

If an object could be tacked onto the definition of 'perfect fit', it would have been this uniform. Struggling wasn't required to force it down, it slid right over Vik's clothes. It was a bit warm, given the fact he was now wearing 5 layers of clothing, but it was a welcome change since the room was only a few degrees above freezing temperature. Vik could feel the weight of the chain mail pressing down on him, but it was not enough to restrict movement. In fact, the armor felt as if it were an extra layer of skin or a glove for the upper half of his body. "It's amazing!" He exclaimed, pulling the hood over his head.

"I'm glad you like it. It was custom tailored for Omnivaris and is one of the lasts of its kind." The captain replied.

"_No wonder it fits so well..."_ Vik thought, but one thing was still bugging him. He wasn't used to the fact of armor being comfortable, since armor was meant to protect. Comfort was a small price to pay considering the pain you'd feel from sword and arrow wounds. He figured he should test the durability and could think of no better way then punching himself in the stomach. And he ended up hurting his fist. "Okay. I'm convinced." He said, attempting to limit the pain by shaking his hand. "but are you sure I can have this? You made it sound pretty rare and huge price tags usually follow that title."

The captain laughed. "Don't worry. I'm sure I can pull a few strings. It's not like we have much use for it. We'll be better off if you took it off our hands. However..." The captains smile twisted itself into a evil smirk. "Every cent of your salary is going to go into paying for this uniform. You will not see a single glimmer of gold until you've paid off the entire Five hundred twenty-three thousand gil!"

Vik was in such a state of shock, he somehow tripped over himself without taking a step. "You've got to be kidding me!" He said, pulling himself up immediately. "There is no way I could ever come up with that kind of money!"

"I'm not kidding. You're wearing company property right now. If anything should happen to it, you are still expected to pay for it. It'll be no good to you broken, so if you're going to spend 500k on something, you might as well spend it on something usable." With that said, the captain turned around and started walking back down the hall. "Hurry up and get the rest of you're uniform on!" He called back. "And remember to lock the door when you leave. Just press you hand against the square and it'll close right back up. When you're ready, take the elevator up to the third floor; Dr. Nicros will be waiting for you there..." Nicholas's voice grew fainter and fainter until the only thing that could be heard was his footsteps. Vik continued to stare in awe at nothing in particular, still speechless from the huge number previously given, when a sneeze reminded him he was still standing in freezing temperatures. He quickly grabbed the trousers off the doll and dashed out of the room. After making sure he didn't drop anything along the way, he pressed his hand against the gel pad and the vault bolted shut. It was obvious that the pants weren't going to fit over his cargoes so he quickly swapped his pants for the leather slacks while keeping a suspicious eye on the cameras. The leather was a bit stiff from being frozen for so long but it wasn't so hard to move. By the time Vik reached the elevators, the clothes were fully defrosted. _"I can't believe I'm paying over half a million gil for something that's going to be constantly exposed to all kinds of punishment. It's not gonna last ten seconds!"_ He thought, pressing the button for 'up'. _"Oh well, at least it looks cool."_

---

"About time you got here, boy!" The Nu Mou growled as the doors to the elevator opened onto the third floor. "The Foundation of Paranormal Archeology and Defense does not tolerate tardiness!"

"Sorry." Vik mumbled, looking around the floor for his clan. "Where is everybody?" He asked when he realized the only people on the floor were medics in blue 'pajamas'.

"They're at the greeting hall waiting for the plane to arrive." Vik opened his mouth to question this but remembered the whole organization's outlook on confidentiality so he shut it. "I'll keep this brief, since I don't want you to wait another hour for the plane." The doctor continued, reaching into his coat and withdrawing an envelope, which he forcibly pushed into Vik's hands. "That contains your I.D. Card, clan badge and room key. You are too re..."

"Hold on!" Vik interrupted, "Room key?"

"For the barracks, stupid. You're expected to work late on some nights and you'll be too tired to get home. So we have barracks set up for each one of you." Olivander replied before continuing with his briefing. "As I was saying, you are to report to work at 10 AM sharp every day. Make sure you're on the elevator the second the clock hits 10. We won't come back for you. A keycard has been included for the backdoor but is to be used for emergencies only. The backdoors are located at every elevator that says 'out of service', except for the one by Terminal 12. That's _really_ out of service."

"You're expecting us to come in every day? That's crazy! We live 2 whole hours away for crying out loud!" Vik yelled.

"That's why you have barracks." The Nu Mou smiled maliciously as he reached in and depressed the button for the top floor. "See you next week!" He said as the doors closed between them.

---

"Hasn't anybody realized yet that the same people get on and off the same plane every day?" Kili asked. The six of them were seated at the ice cream parlor across the street from the train station, killing time until curfew.

"Not likely. They probably think they work for a cross-country business that requires them to fly to work every day." Mosely answered, shoving another spoonful of sherbet into his mouth.

"I can't believe I have to lower myself to the working class!" Elena groaned. "The only reason I'm even doing this is because my dad won't let me quit. He said I had to carry on the Pendragon legacy."

"Hey, it's not that bad!" Saria protested, sucking up the remains her milkshake. "At least it's for a good cause."

"Doing the government's petty tasks doesn't really qualify as a good cause, kupo." Kili pointed out.

"Look, thessse men and women have a country to run. The least we can do isss lift sssome weight off their shouldersss." Yolando put in.

"Well, good cause or not, we could use the experience. We are no where near the qualifications for clan wars." Vik said grimly.

"All clans start out with nothing but table scraps. We'll get stronger, kupo, but it'll take time."

"Speaking of time..." Mosely interjected, glancing down at his watch. "It's nearly midnight. The cops will be making their runs pretty soon. We better get home."

Now that news, as slow as it travels in some cases, had finally reached the police stations, the town of Cyril had issued a curfew. Everyone was to be in their houses by midnight or they would face certain penalties. The clan disbanded, saying their individual goodbyes. "You're sleeping over at Elena's house, right?" Vik asked Saria, who nodded earnestly.

"Don't worry. She'll be safe with me!" Elena assured him. Vik gave her a weird look, since it was the first time she hadn't talked down to him. He decided Elena's good mood probably wouldn't last long so he said his goodbyes and headed down the street.

---

"OW!"

Vik's eyes immediately began to water but everything still looked normal. _"Well, that sure didn't work."_ He thought, wiping away the tears with his sleeve. He had been sitting at his desk for over an hour, immersed in a staring contest with the pair of cat claws he had gotten from the Clan Wars program. Seeing that he was now an official Omnivari, it seemed like a good idea to start training his abilities. Holding weapons was a no brainer; but there was a small problem with the amber eyes. You see, Vik couldn't get them to work.

He tried everything; crossing his eyes, squinting, and concentrating on a single object. When none of those worked, he experimented with direct trauma to the head. He did get smashed in the face with air render only seconds before he started seeing green. This was done by smashing his head repeatedly against the bedposts until his mom, who had come in to see where the noise that had woken her up came from, told him to stop. She left muttering something about her son needing therapy, leaving Vik to deal with his problem alone. He had just applied his last tactic, poking himself in the eye. Did it wok? He was about to find out. As his vision began to clear, he turned his head back to the claw, expecting to see a fountain of green and yellow. The closest thing he saw to that was the glare of the steel talons, reflecting the light from his desk lamp. "Damn it!" He cursed, pushing over a pile of books on his desk in frustration.

Muffled voices drifted down the hallway from his parents room, imploring him to go to sleep. _"Oh well, I'll try again tomorrow."_ Silently, he sidestepped the toppled books and navigated his way across other random objects until he reached his bed. He considered sleeping in his uniform, maybe save some time now and in the morning when he had to put it on but, after remembering the price, decided not to. He carefully changed out of the hunter outfit and into his designated pajamas, which was nothing more than a T-shirt and shorts. He even decided to fold them but as he did, a small, circular object fell out of one of the pockets. Curiously, Vik bent down and scooped it up. It was small, fitting snuggly in the center of Vik's palm. Though it was covered in rust, Vik could tell it was once a masterwork of Brass. A border of leaves circled the edges, wrapping around the ends of the Celtic 'M' carved into the center. A tiny, metal knob stuck out from the right, identifying it as either a watch or compass. Vik turned it on its side, making out a corroded gap and hinges. He tried to open it, but the rust had long sealed up the cracks. Obsessive compulsion took over and Vik reached into his bedside table and withdrew a screwdriver. He carefully inserted it into the gap and pried the lid open. Specks of red dust burst out as the years of compressed air spewed out into the room. Vik waited until the air cleared before easing the hinges open and wiping off the glass surfaces of the two inner halves. On the lower half was a clock, rusted like the exterior; it's three hands permanentaly fixed on 6:15:29. On the top half was a picture. I had the quality of a modern photograph, but was bleached orange by the rust. It bore the image of a woman's face, smiling politely at whoever was taking the picture. She had long, straight hair of unknown colour draped over her right shoulder. But as he studied the face, his eyes dilated with shock. The woman bore a striking resemblance to someone else. A person whom he had only recently met.

"Saria...?"


	14. Excavation in Gotor

**Excavation in Gotor  
**

"You know, I don't think it's her..." Kili remarked, tilting his head to the side.

"Yeah, the Sssaria we know can't be more than 15 yearsss old. The woman in this picture looksss at least twice as old." Yolando added.

"That's not what I meant!" Vik grumbled. This was the earliest he had ever been up during summer, which officially began with the ceremonial smashing of the alarm clock. The guys of Clan Senbunsu were seated in a circle in a crowded airport terminal. Few people around them were actually passengers. More than half of the crowd bore insignias; either on an article of clothing, necklaces, or tattoos identifying them as FPAR employees. Each of them carried their work in carry-on luggage bag since, given the time and place, one would look out of place with out one. "I know for a fact that this person isn't Saria." He continued, snatching the watch out of Yolando's hand. "Up til' now, she was living in a marble. It's not like she would...or could step out just to take a picture."

"Then tell us, what exactly _do_ you mean?" Asked .

Before answering, Vik inspected the room to make sure no one was listening. He didn't want this to spread beyond this circle, not even to the captain. "It can't be just a coincidence that this woman bears such a resemblance to that girl..." He began, bringing his voice down to a hush so his friends had to lean in to hear. "I think they're related."

"Kupo? As in family relations?" Vik nodded.

"So what are you saying? That this is her mother or sister or second cousin twice removed?" Mosely uttered.

"I'm not sure. All I know is that this can help us find out where Saria came from. If she has relatives, she must have parents. And if she has parents..." Vik couldn't bring himself to say it but everyone knew what he was getting at. This would prove to them...prove to the whole world that Saria wasn't fake. That she possessed life granted by nature and not by science. "Only problem is..." Vik continued, "We don't know who she is to begin with."

"Can I see it?" Mosely asked, stretching out his palm. Feeling that there was nothing he could do to destroy it any further. This was proved wrong, however, when Mosely produced a copper can from his bag. The word 'GROG' was stamped in bold red letters under a skull and cross-bone symbol. "Hand me your knife, Kili." He dug the blade in between the gap and popped the top open.

"What the hell is that?" Vik inquired as the smell of burning rubber filled the air around them.

"Grog. It's a kind of alcoholic beverage from overseas." Mosely answered, dipping a popsicle stick in it and stirring. "My uncle bought me a few cans when he was on his honeymoon over there."

It took all of three seconds after contact for the entire stick to dissolve, attracting stares of awe from the other clanners. "What'sss in there?" Yolando mouthed as Mosely tossed the remains of the stick into a nearby trashcan.

"In order from smallest to largest amount: Kerosene, propylene glycol, sulphuric acid, artificial sweeteners, red dye No. 2, yellow 5, axle grease, battery acid, and rum. I also threw in about 141 Gil, just to see them melt."

"And people _drink_ that ssstuff!"

"Only a little bit at a time. It's usually a test of will-power." Mosely withdrew a cotton swab and gingerly dipped it into the beverage. He quickly applied it to the back of the clock, being careful not to spread it onto his hand. "Don't worry about the watch. If it's really made out of copper, the stuff wouldn't be able to do a thing to it."

By the time the swab had completely broke apart, the back of the watch was sparkling again. "Inconceivable!" Kili exclaimed, looking over the final product. "It ate right through the rust. And look, it even cleaned out the engravings!" Sure enough, the words 'Roberts & Sons Co.' appeared on the back "R&S Co? Kupo! I know that place! It's a few blocks from the bus stop in Newport. I pass it every time I feel like taking the long way to my dad's place. They're known for their handmade watches."

"So they should be able to tell us who bought it. There can't be many of these out there to begin with." Vik said hopefully.

"Yes, but there are a few things to consider." Mosely added. "This watch might be a counterfeit, meaning there could be thousands of these in circulation right now. Also, Roberts & Sons is well over a hundred fifty years old. The condition of this watch tells us it is at least a hundred years old. Their records might not go as far back as that."

Kili raised an eyebrow. "How do you know so much about that store."

"Because my uncle, the same uncle who sent me the GROG, works there as an apprentice clock-maker. There's been some talk of severing family ties with him but we're having some problems with the paperwork." The soldier responded, punching the cap back on the can. "Personally, I don't mind. Our family has fallen on some hard times and sometimes we feel we might as well forget all about chivalry and bloodlines."

"People tend to live in the past." The Bangaa grunted. He leaned back against the foot of the bench and slumped lazily. "They go around bragging about all the things their ancestors did and never once think about going out to make a name for themselves. Folks like that are forgotten quickly in the eyes of history." He creaked open a single eye and gave Mosely a hard stare. "I mean no offense to your family, of course."

"It's okay." Mosely replied. "You're completely right. But I would advise you not to say that to Elena. Unlike mine, her family still wields quite a bit of influence."

"Tell me what?" Came a voice from behind Kili.

The four of them looked up and saw Elena with her hands o her hips and an amused smile on her face. "Nothing!" They announced in unison.

"Fine don't tell me. I might even be better off not knowing." She said, seating herself on the bench next to Mosely. There was still a full 20 minutes before the plane arrived so she might as well spend it with someone she **doesn't** despise.

It took a few moments for Vik to notice that if Elena was there, Saria was too. He scanned the terminal and found her sitting on the other side of the room, staring at the planes. He was about to call her over when he noticed her expression. It was a mix of confusion and emptiness, much like the one she was wearing the day they first met. Vik knew that feeling well. He also knew it was best to leave her to her thoughts. _"I probably shouldn't bring up the picture either..."_ He thought, pocketing the watch. _"It'll only confuse her more."_

---

The ride down to HQ was a bit more crowded than Vik remembered, but that was probably because every employee that worked the ten to four shift had crowded into that single lift. When the doors opened, a hundred and fifty men and women pushed their way past Vik and proceeded through the door, where they were suspect to identification checks. He and his team stood in line for over 15 minutes as ultra-violet scanners looked over every inch of the person's form. Everyone was a bit hesitant when it came time for their turn but a Nu Mou, dressed in Blue robes and a straw, pointed hat, gave them some motivation in the form of a electric jolt issued from the front of a staff. "Is it just me," Kili said, rubbing his eyes after exposure to several retinal scans, "Or has everything just become strangely yellow?"

"Why can't they just remember our facesss?" The Bangaa moaned. When everyone was cleared for entry, he and the group headed through the doors and onto the bridge. Where they were greeted by a smack to the head by a brown parcel.

"Your uniforms!" grunted Dr. Nicros, chucking another envelope at Kili. It hit him square in the chest, knocking the wind out of the moogle's stomach. "Well, don 't just stand there! Hurry up and get changed! Except for you three..." He pointed at Vik, Kili, and Mosely. "You've got a special treat for today. You're going on a mission!"

"A mission?" Kili repeated after catching his breath. "To where?"

"Gotor Sands. The team of miners we hired a week ago to dig out some artifacts are afraid of monster attacks. We need someone to help guard them as they work. Get your battle gear on, you leave in one hour when the next plane arrives."

"But why are you just sending us?" Mosely interjected, "With things the way they are nowadays, don't you think we should send in as much help we can get?"

The Nu Mou flashed them a look that altogether answered his question but decided to give them a worded response as well. "It is a fairly simple mission." He said, "The chances of a monster attack are slim to none. Dispatching three units will be more than enough. And besides, out of the rest of the group, you three have the least experience. This is a chance to get you up to par." The three of them stared down at their feet as blood rushed to their faces, in both anger and embarrassment. "Well, seeing that now all our questions are answered, let's get to work."

"Wait!" Vik cried just as the Nu Mou started to walk away. "You mean you made us wait an hour for a plane and go through all those security checks just to send us back up to some desert? Are you insane? I've seen bad systems before but this is outrageous!"

The Nu Mou smiled slightly but continued walking. "That's the government for ya. Get used to it!"

---

One hour later, Vik, Mosely, and Kili were back on the lift along with the departing night shift. Their eyes were swollen red and the way they held themselves showed evidence of stress and labor. But despite all this, they managed to preserve an attitude of self-fulfillment; like they had done something to change the world. The ride up was pretty uneventful. The only difference this time was that they were actually getting on the plane. The Gotor Sands was a little under 400 miles from Bagabu; about a six-day journey on foot, an 8-hour journey by car (minus gas and rest stops), but a 30 minute trip for an airplane. Before they even had a chance to adjust to the altitude, the plane touched down in the small, dusty town of Mazanbique.

The word town, however, was nominal; existing in name only. The only man-made structures present were a couple tents and a General Store made of stacked logs. A runway had been cleared in the center for aerial landings but looked like it had never been used. They also noticed there was a shortage of people in the town and that the three of them were the only ones who got off. The second they were clear from the path, the plane took off for its next destination. "What kind of crazy people would build a civilization out here!" Vik grumbled as they headed east towards the excavation site. "It's freakin' hot, the grounds practically rock and sand, there isn't any source of water for miles; there's no way anybody could have survived out here."

"I'm sure they found ways." Mosely put in, "Maybe there's an underground stream or an oasis somewhere."

"Well they ended up buried under several layers of earth. Obviously, something went wrong!" Kili remarked, removing his bandanna and wringing out the sweat. "So what do you think is buried out here?"

Vik shrugged. "The usual I guess; broken plates, vases, silverware, tapestries, the occasional skeleton. Why do you ask?"

The moogle smiled deceitfully. "There's always the possibility of finding gold or jewels. If we find any treasure, we can kill the diggers and split it three ways. It's the middle of nowhere, they'll never find the bodies. And when they do, we'll be long gone. That is, if we don't kill each other out of greed first, kupo." Vik and Mosely stared in shock at Kili, horrified by his lurid plan. Upon seeing their faces, the moogle burst out laughing. "You actually thought I was being serious? Kupo, you guys are too gullible!"

"Still, it wasn't a bad idea." Mosely admitted, "Anything would be better than going back to that airport. I don't think I can take another blood test." As they drew nearer to the site, the rocky surface suddenly dropped down, giving way to a massive quarry. The sound of mining tools striking the solid walls echoed across the wide chasm. But when they finally reached the edge, what they saw was far from their expectations. A little over a hundred Goblins and Blue caps, armed with shovels and pick-axes, were breaking away pieces of rock from what appeared to be a row of doorways. A few doorways on the end had been fully cleared out and were broken into and looted. They appeared to be looking for something more important, because the objects they found in there were found smashed up in the corner of the site. In the center of it a moogle, dressed in black robes, barked orders through a tin loudspeaker.

"You know, this is just a hunch," Kili said as they observed the madness below their feet, "But I don't think this is the crew we hired..."

---

"Keep digging, you idiots! I want it found by nightfall!" Dorian the dark-robed moogle pronounced through the metal funnel, cracking a whip at a pair of blue caps that were had decided to take a break at the worst possible time. With snake-like speed, the inch wide leather strap lashed out at the monsters, drawing a red gash along their rear ends. "Get back to work, kupo!" Squealing with pain, the goblins automatically grabbed their tools and continued picking at the rocks. That was the great thing about monsters, they never stand up for themselves. With the flick of a whip, they would bring to completion your every wish. They could be worked to their limits, unlike humans who give in halfway through. And most importantly, ever since the great rebellion over a decade ago, monsters have lost the ability of speech, though their interpretation of the English language was near flawless. They occasionally uttered a grunt or roar, but they were only mere sounds; having no meaning behind the noises, making the possibility of an uprising impossible. And without speech, there was only one thing that kept them organized. And that was the receiving end of the animist's whip.

Pausing temporarily to wipe the sweat from its eyes, a goblin gazed up at the sun to check the hours until sunset and caught sight of two figures (Kili's too short!). Straining to get a better view, he saw that they were humans. But not just regular humans. In the back of his mind, a sunken memory suddenly sparked, sending a rush of hatred through its expression. It was a memory built into each monster, a memory that was only fortified through each generation: the savage outlook on clanners. A blood-thirsty cry rang from its throat, successfully diverting the other Caps away from their work to the humans. Curious to see what they were angry about, the moogle turned and stared in their directions. "Clanners? All the way out here? Impossible!" From around his neck, he drew a whistle and pressed it to his lips. With two shrill chirps, the goblins arranged themselves into three rows. "They've seen too much. Try to keep at least one of them alive for questioning but allow none of them out of this area! Attack!"

---

"I think they saw us, kupo" Kili announced when the roar of the first goblin resounded throughout the valley.

"Gee, ya think?" Mosely muttered, his sword instinctively coming to his hand. The two others did the same but kept their eyes on the commanding moogle. They've seen it before; the black robes, the silver insignia, and the commanding way he spoke to monsters.

"He's one of the people that attacked the Holding Facility." Vik growled, placing his right hand in a Kaiser Knuckle and his left in a cat claw.

"Or at the very least, he knows them." Kili added.

Mosely gave them a curious look. "The Holding Facility? You mean they're responsible for the outbreak?" Before they had a chance to answer, a sudden flash of light appeared between them, causing the three of them to jump backwards. With a intent cry, a tawny chocobo leapt from the portal, mounted by a man in brilliant armor.

"A judge? Kupo, don't tell me we've been engaged."

"Charge!" Shouted a voice from the valley, presumably the moogle's since none of the monsters could talk. The goblins lunged forward, scaling the rough wall easily with powerful hands. The few possessing even shred of imagination would have realized that their tools could be used as weapons. And those that did went around to the side of the chasm and climbed up on the ramp. "Okay, here's the plan." Vik said, already running to the left. "You two stay here and deal with the the horde climbing up the wall. I'll try and see if I can keep the Caps with shovels from getting any closer."

As the first of the goblins rose from the edge, the first thing he got was a blow to the face from a leather boot. "What makes you think you can take them on by yourself?" Kili asked, tipping a goblin back and watching him crash through the rows behind him.

"Because. The ramp is only big enough for a few of them to get through at a time," Vik explained as he plowed his fist into a Blue Cap's stomach and tossed him over the side. "And since they're in a straight line, I can do this. Earth render!" He slammed both his fists into the ground, situating a mass of earth and chunks of rock into a tidal wave and sending it crashing down on the monsters.

---

"Wow. I almost forgot he could do that." Mosely commented, watching as the alleviated earth swept over the monsters, burying them in a matter of seconds.

"Stop worrying about Vik. He can take care of himself, whether you choose to believe it or not. Besides, kupo, we've got bigger problems. Kili motioned at the edge, where a group of Red Caps had made it over the edge, their feet now planted firmly on the ground and fists curled angrily at their sides. Offering only a snarl as fair warning, the goblins charged at the moogle. Acting on the first impulse, Mosely swung his blade over Kili's head, cutting each goblin across the chest. At the same time, Kili slashed at their ankles with his knife. Simultaneously, the beast fell backwards, because their feet were no longer connected to their legs. A final blow to the head knocked them out for good. Involuntarily, Kili bent down and began searching their pockets.

"Now's not the time!" Mosely yelled when he noticed the moogle's underhanded action.

"I'm a thief; it's what I do." Kili pointed out, pocketing the few gold coins he managed to swindle from the goblins.

"True, but there is a time and a place for everything." Mosely objectified. As he spoke, he motioned at the ledge, which had spawned yet another row of goblins. "And at the moment, it is neither."

---

Vik drew in several deep breaths, panting erratically. The sun-baked earth was a lot harder to manipulate than the loosely patted soil of the city. Still, he had managed to bury about half of the Caps attempting to ascend the slope. When enough of his energy returned, he looked up at the remaining population and found that most of them had shaken off the shock and had reassumed their homicidal attitudes. They climbed over the ridge created by the extent of the wave and continued to climb towards the clanner. Seeing that he no longer possessed the strength to summon another wave, Vik grabbed an orphaned shovel sticking out from the newly turned earth. Assuming a battle stance, he charged, spade first, at the massive horde. He succeeded in getting the first strike, impaling a blue cap in the chest. The goblin roared with pain, dropping his pick-axe in the process. It clawed desperately at the human attacker's face but failed to cause any major damage. In his last seconds of consciousness, he felt himself being raised off the ground at hurled at a group of his allies.

"Far Fist!" Vik bellowed, detonating the area he thought had the greatest concentration. A blast of sound energy materialized in the center, knocking a few Caps flat on their feet and detaining the ones behind them from gaining more ground. He dived to the left, narrowly avoiding a Blue Cap's hatchet. Reflexively, he jabbed the end of the spade handle into his face. It stumbled back, its vision hazy from the blow, right into the approaching row. In a second, before the crowd could get a hold on the situation, he turned the shovel sideways and slashed along their throats. Red slits inescapably followed, gushing liquid life from the newly opened fissures. Another sonic eruption sent them flying in all directions, striking other nearby monsters as life-sized missiles.

But despite Vik's attempts to suppress the horde, their numbers were just too many. The had begun to curve around Vik's region of attack and soon had him surrounded. "_Crap"_ He thought, ducking to avoid spade attacks from 4 o' clock, 7, and 10:45. He swung his own shovel in a full circuit, knocking the leading row back temporarily as he gathered his strategy. _"Ok, let's see here...fighting them one on one is out of the question; there are just too many of them. Swinging my shovel around like a maniac **might** work, if I don't pass out from dizziness first. Or, I could just use earth render..."_ The last option was definitely the riskiest. If he could perform Earth render one more time, he could clear a path right back up to the surface and get reinforcements. The downside, the monsters wouldn't hesitate to block him. He could no longer rely on the surprise factor, since they already saw him use it, and they would waste no time in barring his escape. Ducking to avoid another head shot, he stared right at the ramp and was struck with inspiration. Gathering the last of his energy, he punched his fists into the ground, raising a triangular wall of yellow earth. It tore through the rows of monsters behind him, forming another ramp right back up to the surface. Without even stopping to catch his breath, Vik leapt right onto the recently developed ledge and sprinted towards the top. Like all ramps, the walls at the end were far too high and steep for anyone to climb so the only way up was to walk over to the other end and start climbing from there. The only thing left to do now was to outrun the monsters behind him. Vik quickly abandoned his shovel, hurling it at the leading goblin's head. This bought him a few extra moments, which he definitely needed due to his state of exhaustion. "Hey guys!" He shouted as he emerged at the top, sliding down the edge of his ramp. "I think I need some help."

"It's about time, kupo!" Kili grumbled, landing an elbow on the neck of a Cap that tried to get back up. "We were getting bored with these guys."

"Really, Vik. What made you think you could take on several dozen goblins with pick-axes using only your fist?" Mosely asked mockingly.

"It's a common mistake. Sue me!" Vik rebutted.

"In the future, there won't be any room for common mistakes." Mosely said as he advanced on the approaching monsters. "There will be times we won't be around to help you."

"But we're here now! So let's finish this, kupo!"

The three of them stood back to back, slashing angrily at the gathering horde with blade and claw. "You know, this might be a sign that we need a mage." Vik remarked, eying the crowd of monsters just waiting to take a swing at them. "We could use the attack range and the broader area of damage."

"Yes, we'll take note of that." Mosely responded before slicing off the tops of a clump of pick-axes. "But for now, shut up and keep punching!"

---

"Oh dear, kupo. The boss isn't going to be happy with this." Dorian muttered through gritted teeth as his mass of workers were reduced to lifeless bodies. "Oh well, maybe with some luck they'll overlook this little attack and we'll just come back later to finish our business." The moogle rolled back his sleeves and plucked a small yellow feather from the band on his arm. _"Though the chances will be greater if the three of them don't live to tell the tale!"_ He cleared his mind, blocking out all images except for the feather and himself. He felt the mana pour from his fingers into the hollow center of the stem. "Chocobo Rush!" He exclaimed, the feather bursting into flame and spark as he uttered the words. As the spell began to take effect, Dorian backed up into a shadowed area of the quarry and disappeared.

---

After several moments of fighting, the last monster finally hit the ground, staining the earth with scarlet paint(it's blood, in case you don't get it). Overcome by exhaustion, the teens collapsed onto the ground, breathing heavily. "How much experience do you think we got?" Kili said as the judge disappeared with another flash of light.

"I don't know." Mosely stated, "Were any of you keeping track of how many Caps you killed?"

"I have yet to meet a person who could, in the midst of battle, maintain a state of mind stable enough to count, since most of us are too worried about getting our heads chopped off!" Vik answered, pressing his head against the ground. He was about to fall asleep when he noticed two things. They had not yet dealt with the dark-clad moogle and that the earth was vibrating beneath his forehead.

From beside him, Kili sat up and looked around, disoriented. "Do you guys feel that rumbling?" He asked and was immediately rejoined by nods. Vik automatically pulled himself up and scanned the horizon. His gaze finally came to the west, where it was met by an approaching dust cloud. In its very center, Vik could make out several orange and yellow specks.

"Um...guys? Do Chocobos live in the desert?" He asked unsteadily.

Mosely shook his head. "And migrating season has been over for 2 months now. The only reason they would be here is..."

"If someone summoned them." Vik finished solemnly. "No doubt the moogle's doing,"

"Should we start running?" Kili suggested desperately.

"No." Vik answered, calling the green aura to his hands. "Just lay right back down on the ground."

---

A loud thump could be heard from behind the iron-casted doors of the throne room. The guards could be heard grimacing from the hall. It was never a pretty sight when their leader was displeased and the two of them were thankful for the thick wall between them.

The room was dark, the only light source being the sky-light directly above the Minister Zaora's chair. Their leader sat there unemotionally, watching the moogle Animist getting pummeled. Dorian struggled to pull himself back up but a kick to the stomach sent him curling back onto the ground. "Please, you highness!" He pronounced in a breathless tone, "It wasn't my fault, kupo! They came out of nowhere and attacked us relentlessly!"

With a sneer, the attacker kicked the Animist once again; this time in the ribs, causing Dorian to roll over. "There were t_hree_ of them. Three! You expect us to believe they single handedly defeated a group of a hundred goblins?"

"Well, the monsters were a little weak. And the clanners had a field advanta-" His sentence suddenly broke off when a leather shoe pressed down on his throat.

"Don't try to shift the blame, fluffball! The one who has failed our organization is you and you alone." He increased the pressure on his neck, crushing the moogle's windpipe. Dorian immediately began squirming, pounding hopelessly at the shoe. "You can feel it can't you?" The attacker whispered. He shot him a twisted smile, the faint sunlight glimmered against his saliva. "Your vision getting dark, your mind getting fuzzy, every organ of your body begging for air. Can you feel the cold grip of Death's hand squeezing your heart? It must be nice, like drifting into an eternal sleep!"

"That's quite enough, Matthew." Called a hoarse voice. The leather sole lifted itself from the Animist's throat. A rush of air suddenly filled Dorian's throat, causing them to irritate and exhale in a series of coughs.

"Neo-Zaora has shown mercy on your pitiful life. Offer your gratitude and get out!" Matthew whispered to the Animist before striding back to leader's throne. The moogle gasped an inaudible thank you before bolting out of the room. "He doesn't show much appreciation for your gift, sir." The attacker said as the guards wordlessly closed the doors behind them.

"It doesn't matter." The minister responded, replacing his glasses and cracking open the Zaoran bible. "I could just as easily take it back."

"And what about the scroll? We were depending on him to find it."

The reverend looked up from his tome just long enough to smile elfishly at his bodyguard. "My dear boy, it has already been found!"

---

The dust took about a minute to settle after the stampede had finally subsided. Even while in a feral state, the Chocobos maintained enough sense not to keep going when they come to the edge of a cliff. They were now grazing peacefully along the desert ground, picking any weeds they came across. A bright-red chocobo was just about to polish off a un-bloomed dandelion when a human hand shot underneath it. The chocobo mourned its lost meal for a second before continuing his grazing, taking little interest in the strange advent. Not a single chocobo cared when two humans and a moogle climbed out of the ground. Their only concern was food. And the clanners didn't look the least bit appetizing.

"Just lie right back down on the ground, kupo." Kili said in a poorly imitated voice. "This has got to be your worst idea yet!"

"Using Earth Render to bury us wasn't a bad idea. You guys just can't appreciate my ingenuity." Vik returned, pulling his boot free from an underground root.

"Hey, at least we didn't get trampled on. If you ask me, I'd choose getting buried under a foot of soil over several pairs of steely talons any day." Mosely added.

"But we could have died either way, kupo." Kili said grimly as he took a seat on the dry, cracked desert floor. "Any of you guys getting second thoughts about this clan business?"

The two humans exchanged unassertive glances. On one hand, they had things they had to live for; goals that could only be accomplished in life. On the other hand, the clan wars offered new challenges and opportunities. They could really make a difference in the world if they continued as a team. "We can't let this get in our way." Mosely said finally. "We have only begun our journey and giving in to an event as small as this means we couldn't handle clan work to begin with."

"Well, I would hardly call this a small situation..." Vik responded, "But you definitely have a point. We can't give up now; we've experienced too much. And furthermore-" Vik's foot suddenly came in contact with metal. Nervously, all three of them turned their eyes to the ground where Vik was standing. "What the hell..." Vik mumbled as he reached down and brushed the loose earth off the surface of an iron chest. It was about a foot tall with an arched top and U-shaped handles. A small metal box resembling a lock was placed on the front, but a keyhole was nowhere to be found.

"Where the heck did this come from?" Mosely said as he helped Vik pry it from the earth.

"Kupo! It must have gotten tossed up with all those Earth Renders." Kili speculated. "You got any more of that grog stuff, Mosely?"

"Yes..." Mosely said as he removed the can from his pack. "But shouldn't we try opening it by hand first? For all we know, the chest could be worth more than whatever's inside."

"Intrinsic value doesn't count!" Vik said, grabbing the can from Mosely's hands and spraying a few drops on the lock. A faint hissing could be heard as the Grog made contact with the metal. As the barricade dissolved, the lid cracked open, spilling an immensely sour smell into the air.

"Dear lord! What died in there?" Kili exclaimed quickly before catching and holding his breath.

"I dunt gnoe." Vik said with a pinched nose. "Bert ahm gunna find out right now!" He slid his fingers into the newly-opened gap and creaked it open. With much difficulty, the cover lifted off, exposing the chest's contents. Vik stared wide eyed at the innards before turning to his friends, who were staring at him nervously. "It's..."

---

"A scroll? Is that all that was in there?" Captain Nicholas turned to the three teens,who, in return, nodded.

"That...and half a sandwich. We assumed it was probably Tuna and a whole sandwich when it was put in there." Vik added. "We had to throw it out. They wouldn't let us bring it onto the plane."

"And there doesn't seem to be anything important on the scroll either, kupo." Kili continued. "We opened it up on the plane but couldn't make sense out of it. All that's in there are page upon page of numbers and symbols. There weren't any signs of sequencing or repetition. Whatever language it's written in, it's not English."

The captain gave Kili a small whack on the head with the scroll. "And that's why you're not paid to decipher ancient documents!" He said mockingly. "We'll get someone to work on this right away. But for now, you're dismissed. Hurry up and change out of you job outfits. There's still work that needs to be done!" Groaning, the teens hoisted themselves out of the comfortable arm chairs and headed down the hall towards the lockers.

As soon as they were gone, the captain unfurled the parchment and read it for himself. It was exactly how they described it: a series of numbers and symbols without pattern. After studying documents like these for most of his life, it made a bit more sense to him than it did to the teenagers but was still unclear. However, one thing caught his eye. In the top right hand corner of the page was a symbol: a skull with seven snakes sprouting from scalp. "Aegis..." He whispered. Upon seeing the insignia, his initial intention was to burn the scroll. But his natural curiosities soon took hold, barring back his arsenic actions until he had a chance to fully investigate it. After all, it was his life's goal to study the supernatural. But he could clearly see that it was now corrupting his better judgment.

---

**A/N (Ignore this note if everything makes sense...so far):** Well, once again my chapter was too long so I split it into two parts. But the last time I did a double update, most of you completely skipped the first chapter (chapter twelve). Now if you don't read every chapter, none of this is going to make sense. Especially the part about the going to work when the plane comes. If you actually read chapter 12, you'd know that the plane is just used as a distraction. While everyone on the outside thinks they're getting on the plane, they hitch a ride to their underground base via elevator.

Anyways, the fifteenth chapter will be updated a few days later. It's for your own good!


	15. Midnight Rendevous

**A/N:** Woah. What the heck happened? I was just checking up on my stats and found a 0 in the hits section. The hits to my profile page are gone too. Does anybody else have this problem? I'm a bit worried. Anyways, here's chapter 15, though it was finished about a week early. I've got a heap of schoolwork to do so don't expect the next chapter too soon.

**Midnight Rendezvous**

The employee lunchroom was just like any regular school lunchroom: a labyrinth of square tables, each with a set of four chairs. A service line was built along the far wall next to a series of vending machines. The food, however, was a bit more interesting. Employees could make a selection between Hamburgers, Pizza, Pasta, or Salisbury Steak. But the rule of quantity over quality remained the same and the rations were surprisingly low on nutrients. Just like during the school year, lunch was Vik's favorite time of the day. Of course, none of this time was spent eating. He spent this time sleeping. While everybody else conversed cheerfully over food and drink, Vik rested his head on a table to try and catch some Z's. However, this is impossible and not to mention rude when you're in the presence of company.

"Hey, Vik! Mind if I sit down?" An almost unfamiliar voice called to him. Wearily, he lifted his head to the sight of an almost-cheerful Elena. Vik wasn't sure how to respond. This was the first time the viera had ever struck up a casual conversation with him. Heck, this was the first time she had talked to him as an equal. Then again, he didn't want to ruin their 'relationship' that she had so painstakingly created so he decided to respond with sarcasm. "Of course you can sit down. There's a chair over there." He said, pointing at the chair in the far corner of the room.

The Viera laughed, another thing Vik was unfamiliar with, and took the seat across from him anyways. "So how was your mission?"

"Grueling, pointless, and dull; altogether yielding insubstantial rewards."

Elena blinked with confusion. "So it went well?"

"Yup." He said.

"That's good to hear..." Vik was familiar with this kind of tactic, starting off with friendly conversation before trying to wring out some information.

At this time, he realized that Elena wasn't going to leave him until she got what she wanted so he sat up and pushed in his chair. "Alright, what did you really come here to talk about?"

Elena suddenly looked down at her feet and brought her voice down to a whisper. "It's about Saria."

If there was one topic that could grab Vik's attention, that was it. "What about her?" He asked.

"Well...she's been acting a bit strange lately. Ever since she came back from that job instructor she seemed...distant. She won't talk to anybody about it so I was hoping you would know."

She looked up hopefully at Vik, who almost regretted shaking his head. "Sorry, I don't know any more than you when it comes to Saria."

"Then try talking to her about it. I already tried but she pushed me away." She said with a hurt expression. "She trusts you more than me so why don't you give it a shot? Please! I'm really worried."

Vik initially opened his mouth to ask why but decided against it. "Sure." He said quickly.

"Thanks." With that said and done, she pushed back her chair and excused herself from the table.

Without much else to do, Vik slumped back onto the table and closed his eyes. "Girls: the world would be a whole lot simpler if they just told us what they're thinking forthright." He mumbled under his breath. _"You can't blame them," _His mind returned, _"They were **made** to complicate things."_

---

Vik couldn't help but feel that Saria was avoiding all contact with intelligent life. Not a single one of the Foundation employees had seen her all afternoon. It took a while for some of the workers to know who he was talking about since she had lived under the name "the alternative power source" for most of her life. Nevertheless, she stayed hidden even when it came time for them too leave. "Have any of you guys seen Saria?" Vik asked as they stood in line for departure security checks. Apparently, there were a few people that weren't allowed out either. "I thought, of all places she chould be, she would be here."

"Haven't ssseen her all day." Yolando answered. "Ya think she got lost?"

"Impossible. There are maps posted on the walls every ten feet!" Kili said, motioning at the nearest map and the three to its right. "Plus, there are people who work here 24-7. If she gets lost, she can ask for directions." A loud ping interrupted their conversation as the heavy metal doors slid open. Vik scanned the crowd as the piled into the elevator but found no trace of her. "She has to be somewhere in this building. I'm gonna go look for her." Vik said as he slowly and remorsefully turned from the gates of freedom.

"Wait up! We'll come too." Elena said, motioning for the rest of the clan to get out of the elevator.

Vik raised his hands in dissapproval. "No, I've kept you here for far too long already. I'm sure you've all got a bunch of things to catch up with. Besides, one of you have to tell my parents that I'll be late. Calling between two cities costs a fortune these days."

The crew didn't give their leader's suggestion much thought. They just backed right back onto the platform and waved goodbye. "See ya tomorrow!" Kili shouted as the doors slid shut. Sighing loudly, Vik trudged down the hall towards the bridge.

The first place he checked were the barracks. _"She was probably too tired to go home."_ He thought as he roamed along the rows of dorms. He wasn't sure which room was hers so he tried every one, being sure to knock before entering to make sure he wasn't barging in on any _personal_ business. His search came up empty but he did run into the task secretary who informed him that Saria hadn't shown up for any of her scheduled assignments.

With the possibility of the barracks ruled out, the only place Saria could be right now was...anywhere. Vik's only option was to scout out the entire area of the foundation. This would have taken an eternity so Vik decided to use the lazy man's way out: technology. Coffee break was in about 5 minutes and the next lift down was bringing with it a cart packed full of donuts. Sure enough, by the time he reached the Security Monitoring Station, the room was completely deserted. Without wasting a second, he quickly took a seat in front of a computer terminal and started flipping through the channels. Even with the help of security cameras, the search would still take a long time, given the amount of rooms there were. Rooms like bathrooms and locker rooms were prohibited from filming by law so instead, the camera was placed right outside the door to keep track of everyone who goes in. After 45 minutes of channel-surfing, Vik realized that she wasn't anywhere in the building. He had viewed each security unit several times and she was still nowhere to be found. _"Just go home."_ His inner laziness prevailed, _"She can find her own way back."_

"No!" Vik objected loudly. The lack of sleep must have been getting to him, since talking to yourself is usually the first sign of hysteria. Vik didn't think much of it, since he had verbal disputes with his mind on a daily basis.

Since Saria wasn't in the building, that meant only one thing. She was outside in the big and unprotected depths of society. This wouldn't have been a big deal if they were back in Cyril; she knew her way around the neighborhood. However, Bagabu port was an entirely different place. So far, the only place that they had visited in the city was the airport. "Oh well, guess I'll go search the city now." He mumbled as he headed out the door. "This is going to be a _loooooong_ night."

Vik got there just in time to catch the departing 9 o' clock departure to the surface. Before leaving the Airport, Vik zipped up his jacket. Summer nights always felt cold to Vik. He guessed it was because his body had a hard time adjusting to the temperature now that the Earth's most proficient heat source had moved to the other side of the globe. This was especially the case tonight when Vik passed by an electronic store. A television by the window was broadcasting a news report. Though the sound was barely audible through the glass, the bottom of the screen indicated that it was 38º.

The hard part about searching for someone in a city is that you have no idea where to begin. You could start on one street and run along it until you reach the opposite end of the city only to find that the person had moved to the other end. Still, random searching was better than standing in one place hoping that _they_ will find _you_ so Vik started running in the direction he was facing, hoping that the person he was looking for wasn't doing the same.

---

Vik watched sadly as the last train to Cyril rolled by right in front of him. _"Oh well, guess I won't be going home for dinner after all."_ He thought as the last car finally passed and the lights stopped flashing. As soon as the wooden barricade was lifted, he continued his aimless sprinting. He had been searching for three hours already and to obviously no avail. By this time, worst-case scenarios were starting to form in his head. _"What if she got kidnapped? Maybe those cloaked guys finally made their move. What if she gets mugged? What if she gets raped?"_

"Shut up!" He whispered, pressing his hands against his ears, even though he knew it would do nothing to hold back his thoughts. His search eventually brought him to White Mountain Park. A sign at the front said that it had been closed for over an hour, but the lack of a gate and security vigilance were open invitations to Vik. As he proceeded down the designated path, he slowed his pace just enough to allow him to absorb the scenery. With every step, memories from his childhood came flooding back. He remembered when he was still a kid, his parents used to send him and his sister to their grandparent's house overseas during the summer. Since Bagabu had the only trans-continental airport, they didn't really have much of a choice. But before they two of them were put on a plane, their parents brought them here. This park had everything; a playground, a restaurant, a zoo, and a year round carnival. Vik could spend hours here without getting bored. They stopped coming here when Vik was about five. His mom told him it was because he and his sister had outgrown the silly family tradition. It had been years later when he found out his grandparents had died in a car crash.

It was all coming back to him at once; the recollection, the emotions, every memory attached to this place was rushing at him, trying to occupy the same spot in his mind. He stopped for a second just to hold his head with his palms. But as he looked up, he saw that he wasn't alone. About 10 yards away from him was a girl, sitting on a wooden bench overlooking the pond. Vik almost didn't notice her because she was dressed in a black uniform. Her raven hair blended almost naturally into the night. He also noticed she was shivering. _"Serves her right for not bringing a jacket."_ He thought as he walked towards her. Sighing, he sucked up the last few seconds of warmth before removing his jacket and wrapping it around her. She reacted the same way anybody would when something suddenly draped around your shoulders; she looked back. "Hey Saria." Vik whispered with a cheerful smile.

"Vik...what are you...how did...why..." She blathered, watching as he took a seat next to her on the bench.

"I was looking for you." He said indignantly before adding, "Idiot."

Saria immediately looked down but Vik retained his attitude. If he gave in, even for a second, Saria would eventually learn that looking hurt could get her out of anything. "Vik, I'm sorry."

"Do you have any idea how worried I was? How worried our friends were? And my parents! Have you even thought how they'd react when they realized you were missing?" Vik lowered his gaze to her eye level and found her on the verge of crying. Not wanting to push her that far, he lightened his expression and tone of voice. "Why are you out here anyways?"

"I...I just couldn't take it anymore..." She said without looking up.

"Take what?"

In spite of Vik's attempt to calm down, Saria still burst into tears. "They won't stop staring at me. They shrink away when I walk down the halls and whisper behind my back. No matter where I went, I couldn't escape their gazes." She was obviously referring to the Foundation's employees, who have yet to acknowledge her as an actual person. Feeling he should do something to comfort her, he pulled the girl into an awkward hug. "What have I done wrong?" She asked, burying her face in Vik's sleeve, "Why do they hate me so much?"

"I'm sure they don't hate you." Vik said quietly in her ear. "They just don't know you like we do. Give it some time; it'll stop eventually." It wasn't exactly the best advice but it seemed to work. After a few seconds, her breathing returned to normal and Vik pulled himself from away from Saria's embrace. "So are you ready to go?" He asked, brushing away her last few tears with his thumb.

"No, let's stay here for a while." Saria said, giving Vik a weak smile.

"No! It's late, it's cold, and it's been 2 hours since curfew started. And I'm not looking forward to calling my mom and asking her to come pick me up at the Bagabu Police Station." He frowned when his response only made her giggle. "Besides, aren't you afraid of the dark?"

"I'm not exactly _afraid_ of it." She answered, crossing her arms around her chest and pulling the jacket closer to her. "I just feel...trapped. There's no one around to help me. To save me. Sometimes, in the worst cases, I could hardly breathe." She drew in a deep breath and exhaled comfortably. "How can you stand it?" She asked, turning to face Vik. "How can you live so freely in a world without light."

"Well, I can't say I'm completely unafraid of the dark. There are even times when _I_ feel uncertain of what's out there." He admitted, blushing a bit from embarrassment. "Mankind has been trying to conquer darkness for centuries. We invented a bunch of things; fire, lanterns, light bulbs, and glow sticks. But if we tell ourselves that nothing will change when the light is extinguished, we'll know that there's nothing to fear."

They sat silently for a while, just staring as the water sparkled from the lights from surrounding lamp posts. The air was just getting colder so Saria shoved her hands into the jacket's pockets and felt something solid press against her left hand. Curiously, she closed her hand around it and pulled it out. "What's this?" Saria asked, holding the small object to the streetlight. It was the pocket watch Vik had found in his Job outfit.

"Oh that? I've been meaning to show it to you. I was just waiting for the right moment to bring it up." He said, smiling nervously. Saria just sat there, admiring the beauty of the watch. Every detail was so painfully engraved, she almost felt sorry for the man who had to watch as his masterpiece was sold. Gripping the sides tightly, she reached towards it with her right hand to open the top. But as her hand neared the clasp, a white spark suddenly shot out at her palm, yanking the consciousness from her body.

---

Her vision soon succumbed to the dark shroud of oblivion. Vik, the lake, and the whole park had faded from view. She screamed for help but no sound emitted from his throat. Saria appeared to be standing up, though she could still feel the bench against her back. Where am I...> she thought. She jumped when the exact same words echoed back to her. Whoa...what kind of place is this?>

"_This is for you."_ Said a female voice. _"Happy birthday." _Saria spun around to see who was talking but was only greeted by blackness. 'Who's there?' Her thoughts echoed.

"_A gift? You really shouldn't have."_ Another voice returned. Saria predicted it belonged to a man, since it was much deeper than the first. _"I told you I didn't want anything; there's really no reason for me to celebrate."_

"_I'm not asking you to celebrate. It's just a present."_ The female voice responded in a hurt voice. _"Com'n, just open it."_

As Saria turned around, two figures emerged from the darkness. They were dressed in casual clothing but the weapons at their sides told her they were clan members. Just like she predicted, there was one male and one female. The male was dressed in a maroon dress shirt with green pants and held an open box carefully in his hands. The female was wearing a plain, white dress and stood eagerly beside the male, awaiting his reaction. Saria tried to walk closer to get a better look but her feet refused to move. From where she was standing, she could only see the back of their heads and hair. Even if she was standing at a different angle, she still would have been too far to see their faces. They were much taller than she was but still looked young so she guessed they were somewhere between 20 and 40. Um...hello?> She mused, her thoughts reverberating off the "walls". Can one of you please tell me where I am?> It was no use; the two adults only acknowledged each other's presence.

"_How thoughtful of you, you got me a watch."_ The man remarked unenthusiastically, removing a small, circular object from the box.

"_You seemed to have trouble getting things done, so I thought I'd get you a little time-keeper to assist you."_ The woman said cheerfully.

"_I don't have trouble getting things done. I just don't want them done."_ He returned.

The female responded with a laugh. _"Open it up. There's a surprise inside!"_

Without a word, he popped open the top of the watch and gazed inside. _"What am I supposed to be looking for? I only see a clock."_

"_Look above it, you big dummy!"_ She said, poking the man in the gut. _"It's a picture frame for that one special moment in your life!"_

"_Great..." _The man said. From afar, Saria could tell he was attempting to smile. Either that, or he was trying to mask a real one.

"_So...you need any suggestions for what you're gonna put in there? I have a few pictures of our clan reduced so it'll fit in there."_

"_No thanks."_ The man answered as he pocketed the watch. _"I'm gonna put in the picture of my wife."_

---

"Saria! SARIA! Wake up!"

She could feel her body being shook as she slowly came out of her trance. As she opened her eyes, the first thing she was Vik's face, a mixture of fear and worry. "Oh thank god!" He exclaimed as he helped her up. "You almost gave me a heart attack. What happened?"

Vik watched her curiously as she got up and looked over her surroundings, trying to find something to prove that it was all a prank. "It happened again..." She said as she sunk back onto the bench after coming up empty.

"What are you talking about? You mean this has happened before?"

Saria nodded. "Yesterday when I was looking for an occupation, I came in contact with one of the old outfits the instructor had worn before. There was a huge tear in it and I had a vision that it was created by a Panther...no, it was more than a vision. I could feel the sting of the claws, the moisture of the blood, even the weakness of dying breaths. I thought I was just dreaming at first but now it has happened again!"

Vik shook his head in confusion. This girl was getting stranger each day. "Well, maybe it was just a dream. You _did_ black out. What exactly did you see?"

The girl looked down at the watch, which was now laying open in her hand. It took her a while to answer Vik's question after seeing her image in the picture. "This watch..." She began, "Was a gift. As for who it's from and who it belongs to, I have no idea." As she spoke, she took a good look at the picture, comparing any feature that was visible to her own. "Why is my picture in here?" She asked as if she thought Vik was playing a prank on her.

"I really don't know." He answered truthfully, "I just found that in the pocket of my uniform and when I popped it open, there you were." He looked up at Saria's helpless and bewildered expression.

"There was a man..." Saria said, running her fingers along the frame. "He got this watch from a woman as a birthday gift. And he told her...he told her he was going to put in a picture of his wife." She slapped the lid shut and gave Vik a look of anguish. "I think...that I might be..."

"But we don't think it's really you." He immediately added in an attempt to comfort her. "It might be a close relative or just some person who coincidentally looks like you. All we know is that they have to be at least over a hundred years old."

"Besides..." He added as he took the watch from the girl's hands and placed it into his shirt pocket. "You're ten times prettier than that girl in the picture." He had no idea what had possessed him to say such a thing. There were many ways to interpret his last statement. He doubted that he actually meant it but at the same time, he knew he wasn't kidding. But when Saria started laughing, he knew his comment couldn't have been all that bad. "So, you ready to go now?"

"Yeah. Let's go." Saria said, smiling brightly.

Since the train had already stopped running, they decided to go back to the airport and actually use the barracks their employers had provided. When they finally arrived at their destination, they had just missed the 2 o' clock 'flight'. And since none of them had brought their key cards for the back doors, they chose to wait until the next elevator came. But by that time, they had already fallen asleep leaning on each other's shoulder.

**A/N:** Grr. It turned fluffy again. I've really got to stop reading romance fanfiction...but that's pretty much impossible since they make up almost half the site. Oh well, it's not that bad. On a scale of fluffiness from sand paper to puffy clouds, this is cheap carpet! Or maybe that itchy sweater my grandma gave me for Christmas...


	16. The Timekeeper

**The Timekeeper**

It's been over a week since Vik and his clan had started governmental work and they all agreed; they'd rather be in school. When they weren't on missions, they were required to wear the company uniforms: a black blazer and Chino pants over a white shirt. The organization's insignia, a 6-winged angel, was sewn on both arms. The uniforms were exactly the same in every way, bearing no specific markings or detail. Unlike the air force, there was no way to differentiate high ranked officials. Fortunately, this wasn't much of a problem for the teens. Olivander had made it quite clear that support clans were bottom-dwellers, the lowest rung on the government's position hierarchy. Because of this, the six of them had to address every other agent as 'sir' or 'madam'.

Their assignments mostly consisted of assistant work. Every time a odd job presented itself, a clan member was chosen to do it. They were never kept in the same place for too long, since there was so much to be done. If the scholars needed something from the archives, Yolando spent 2 hours rummaging through rows upon rows of shelves searching for the proper scrolls. When the chemists needed someone to test out their new potions, Kili ended up hooked up to a machine that administered doses of the experimental substances as they monitored his heart rate. Even when the secretary needed her reports mailed, they sat Vik in front of a mountain of papers and ordered him to start licking envelopes. In short, it was grueling work. So when Captain Nicholas offered them the next day off, Vik could hardly believe his words. "Take the day off? What kind of thing is that to ask? Of course we'd like to take the day off!" He exclaimed.

Despite the obviously good news, some of the members remained doubtful. "Why the sssudden change of heart?" Yolando inquired when the others members finally calmed down. "Weren't you just sssaying yesterday that we were way behind in our work?"

"Well, we've been putting you through so much labor lately I thought I ought to give you guys a break. Besides, missing a single day won't put you _that_ far back. So what do you say? Are you going to take my offer or not?"

"Well of course we're taking it!" Elena declared while everybody else nodded in agreement.

"Great! I'll go mark you guys on the shift charge for 10 PM tomorrow." The captain said, already walking towards the door.

The teens shot confused glances at his back, but he failed to notice them. "Midnight shift, kupo? I thought you said we didn't have to come to work tomorrow!" Kili called after him.

"No, I said you could take the day off," The captain responded without even throwing them a glance as he stepped out into the hall. "Which, in my book, means you're coming to work at night. Get a good sleep tonight, I want to see you on the 10 PM elevator looking alive."

"Slave driver." The moogle muttered as soon as Nicholas's back disappeared from the room.

---

For the first time in the summer, Vik finally got the proper amount of sleep and got up the next morning feeling refreshed. However, it wasn't morning. It was 2 PM. And he only woke up because something hard and cold was pressing against his forehead. "Try not to move around so much." A voice at his right said. "You'll spill my drink." With more difficulty then usual, given the fact that a glass of grape juice was pressing against his brain, Vik creaked an eye open and saw that Saria was sitting in the chair next to his bed.

Cautiously, he reached up and grabbed the glass off his head before sitting up. "You know, there's a reason tables were invented." He grumbled sleepily.

"True, but I wanted to put my drink on something that I was sure wasn't going to budge." Saria returned without looking up from her book.

"Well guess what? The jokes on you!" Vik lifted the glass to his mouth and downed the contents of the glass.

Saria snapped the book shut and gave Vik a playful whack on the head. "Meanie!"

"Serves you right for waking me up!" He responded as he walked to his closet.

"Are you going somewhere?"

"Yeah. How'd you know?"

"Because you usually don't bother changing out of your pajamas unless you're going out." She answered simply. "So where are you going?"

"Um..." There was a lot of things to consider now that this question was asked. In truth, he and the rest of the guys in the clan had agreed to head down to Newport Estates to visit the clock shop the watch came from. He was intentionally aiming for when it was made and who bought it but, with some luck, he could maybe find who the woman in the picture was. However, Vik found it in his best interest to lie. "I'm just going to Kili's house." He said as he pulled a shirt over his head.

Though it was highly unusual for Vik to pass up a day off, Saria decided not to look any deeper. "Just don't stay out too late." She said, turning back to the book when Vik beckoned for her to look away. "We're going out to eat tonight. It's your parent's anniversary."

"Of course. How could I forget?" He said with a nervous laugh.

The girl frowned. "You forgot, didn't you?"

"Yeah." He answered as he finished pulling up his pants. "I'll pick something up for them on the way back."

"Yeah, you do that. And try not to get something too cheap. The person that first said 'it's the thought that counts' obviously didn't have very high expectations."

Vik was a bit surprised when he heard these words. They had a certain air to them; a distinct attitude and personality. It was a feeling all too familiar to him. "You know..." He began, smiling elfishly at the girl, "You're beginning to sound like me."

"My god, you're right! Call the judgemaster! This could very well be the end of the world!" She responded with sarcastic alarm. Vik gave her a light laugh.

"Just try not to learn too much from my example. I'm not exactly role model material." He said, patting her head. "But then again, it might be nice to finally talk with someone who gets my view of life."

Saria moved the book slightly downwards, just enough for Vik to get a good view of her eyes, which were glaring at him with intense loathing. "I'd sooner die." She pronounced. She was kidding, of course, but the look on her face was dead serious.

"What a pity." He commented, grabbing his now-empty backpack from a chair as he made his way towards the door. And when he was absolutely certain Saria wasn't looking, he quickly grabbed the rusty pocket-watch off his desk and shoved it into his bag.

---

Vik was a bit confused when he arrived at Mosely's house. He was familiar with the street it was on, seeing that he passed it almost every day as he went to school. Identical one-story houses were lined up side by side along the block. A few bore well-tended front lawns and gardens. A few houses, including Mosely's, had porches. A narrow alley-way separated each house, each exactly as wide as the one next to it. It was one of those streets that you could just walk right past without stopping to admire scenery. There was nothing special about it, which struck Vik as a little odd. He walked up to the doorstep and rang the bell. About a minute of silence followed before a series of heavy footsteps rang out from inside. Slowly, the front door cracked open to the face of a middle-aged Bangaa. He was a full two heads taller than Vik with brownish-red skin. A small pair of reading glasses balanced themselves over a pair of yellow, slitted eyes. His face bore a tired expression and evidence of stress made themselves noticeable through the many wrinkles on his forehead. "You better not be ssselling sssomething." He grumbled as he opened the door all the way. Even so, his towering figure prevent Vik from getting inside.

"I'm not!" He answered quickly, finding himself taking a few steps back. "I think I have the wrong address. Can you tell me where the Lionheart residence is?"

"You're ssstanding in front of it." The bangaa hissed, studying Vik's expression. He saw the meaning behind it and decided to respond to what the boy was too polite to say. "Let me guesss." He began, smiling through the side of his mouth. "You were expecting a castle with a big moat around it and a drawbridge. Or perhapsss a red-brick mansion with heavy oak doorsss and gold plated windowsss. I bet you were sssurprised when the owner of the house answered the door instead of a sssmartly dressed butler with a funny accent. Well? Am I right?"

"No! I mean...it's just..." Vik's apology was cut off when the Bangaa suddenly started laughing.

"Sssave it, kid. I was just teasing." He said, whacking Vik in the back and knocking the air out of his lungs. "Don't worry about it, I'm used to it. I get it from everyone. Tax collectorsss, censusss takers, even from mailmen. They just can't believe that one of the most powerful familiesss in Ivalice is living in a middle-class sssuburb."

"If you don't mind me asking," Vik rejoined after catching his breath. "But why are you living here? You just said so yourself, you belong somewhere else."

"Becaussse it's the best place we can afford." The bangaa said with a hint of shame. "The generationsss before usss lived every sssecond of their livesss in grandeur. They sssquandered our family'sss resourcesss and left usss with nothing but debtsss." He took deep breath and massaged his eyelids, being very careful not to knock over his glasses. "You should have seen us a hundred years ago. We were fair, just, and loyal; everything a blueblood should have been. But that's all gone now. Today, it's a never ending dogfight with only one rule: do anything necessary to get to the top."

Vik had no idea how to respond but the situation seemed to call for a "I'm really sorry." He said it quickly and quietly, which is something you do when you're not sure if you want to be heard. If the person you're talking to hears it, they'll know you care. But if they hear it and take it as an offense, you can always pretend you never said anything. However, in this situation, the first example was the case.

"Don't be. I've learned to except it. Sure, it's ruining my life now but if I continue working to find a sssolution, maybe my grandchildren won't be born into this horrible nightmare." He responded with a somewhat hopeful smile before turning back to Vik and putting on his best welcome face. "You're here to see Mosely, aren't you? Well, I believe I've kept you waiting for long enough already. Ssstay right here, I'll go get 'im."

And with that, the door closed just to open again a few minutes later, allowing Mosely to step out into the sun. "Hey Vik." He said as he grabbed a pair of sneakers from a shelf by the door. "Sorry if my dad freaked you out. He's not exactly a people-person."

"That bangaa was your dad?" Vik said with mild surprise. Nowadays, inter-racial marriages weren't forbidden, just uncommon. Only a few people from each race have dared to venture out of their own species and even fewer actually get married. Except for Vierras, who, due to a shortage of males, were forced to find male partners from the other 4 groups. Still, half-breeds were treated no differently from everyone else. They just try not to mention it to anyone, since a few people were still desperately clinging on to the past.

"Yeah. He's really a nice guy once you get to know him. It took a few years for my mom to stop hating him." He quickly laced up his shoes and headed down the front steps, waving for Vik to follow.

Vik waited until they had walked a couple blocks before starting up the conversation again. "Your dad...he seemed a bit stressed." He said, avoiding eye contact with Mosely by focusing on the can he was kicking. "What happened to him?"

"He's still trying to pay off the debts left by his grandfather." Mosely replied. "Over 3 million gil worth in taxes and loan repayments are still owed to the government. Men have been arriving at our door recently demanding a payment in full and every time, my father has to push back the deadlines. And just a few weeks ago, the company he worked for went bankrupt and he's been unemployed ever since. He's been to 20 job interviews already and got turned down every time."

"So that's why you wanted to stay in the clan!" Vik discerned. "I always thought your parents forced you to continue, like Elena's and Yolando's did."

"Actually, it's quite the opposite." Mosely said, laughing a bit. "My dad went ballistic when I told him I found a job. He went on and on about how he was the man of the house and he should be the one supporting our family. Then his ego took another blow when my mom announced she was going to work in a grocery store. He thinks we believe he won't find another job since we went and got our own so he's looking harder than ever now."

"At least he maintained his sense of pride through all these years." Vik remarked.

"And we all admire him for that." Mosely added. "But the truth is, we've become the laughing stock among nobles. They've already cut off preceding family ties set up by decades of inter-house marriages. Our reputation has been thrown to the ground, trampled, and now serves as bedding for pigs."

Vik laughed but immediately shut his mouth when Mosely shot him an angry glare. "Oh, you're not kidding..." He mumbled before starting a string of apologies.

"It's alright. I might have gone a bit too far with that analogy. I'd expect anyone to laugh." Mosely said, brightening up a bit. "But no matter how I say it, the point is that my family has definitely seen better days. We've sunk to the bottom ranks of society and the only thing we have left is the blood of a past judgemaster. It's a wonder why Elena still talks to me._ Her_ family's still in power."

"Well...if you ask me," Vik said, smiling his elfish smile. "I think she likes you." Mosely chose to respond physically. A swift kick to the shins told Vik never to say that again.

---

The bus arrived at Yolando's stop about 20 minutes after Vik and Mosely got on. From there, it continued on to Newport Estates. However, they realized upon arrival that the name was an empty promise. The town was a small, rundown suburb nowhere near a lake or ocean. There were no houses, only apartments and motels. Most of them were in poor condition. Broken windows, chipped paint, a few of them even had missing doors. The display windows of shops were barricaded by triangular-plated bars, probably used to stop hurled bricks. "Keep you handsss in your pocketsss." Yolando advised as they made their way up the stairs of Kili's building, eying the groups of people around them. "Thisss place is crawling with vermin just waiting to sssnatch up our walletsss."

"I could see why you think that." Mosely added. "Just look at this place! An insurance company wouldn't touch this town with a ten-foot pole."

"Drop it, guys." Vik growled angrily. "I know this place is a dump but you have to remember, Kili lives here...well, only during the weekends but that's besides the point."

"We all know that and we mean him no offense." Mosely responded.

"You shouldn't pass judgment on someone just by looking at their home or neighborhood." Vik continued, throwing an annoyed look at Mosely. "Of all people, I thought you would be the one who understands, seeing that your family lives under the same circumstances."

"We didn't sssay anything!" Yolando protested loudly.

"You were about to." Defeated, the two teens fell silent right after they apologized. When the finally reached the fourth floor, the turned left and knocked on the door marked 7B. After twelve more knocks, eleven raps, eight pounds, and three impatient kicks, the door finally cracked open. A safety chain prevented the door from being opened more than a few inches. It took a few seconds for the sleepy-eyed Kili to realize who it was but when he did,'t he closed the door back up and removed the lock. His uncombed hair and the fact that he was still in his pajamas told them he had just woken up. "Kupo? What are you doing here?" The moogle yawned.

"You were going to take usss to that clock shop, remember?"  
"I remember. I just wasn't expecting you this early. Especially you, Vik." He responded as he turned around and started walking towards the center of the room. "You can come in if you want. Make yourselves at home, just don't break anything." He said as he grabbed some clothes from a duffel bag by the couch before head towards the bathroom.

The condition of this apartment made Vik's room look like a 5-star hotel. The floor of the living room was littered with old soda cans, beer bottles, and pizza boxes. In the corner, a large stack of newspapers and magazines were pushed into a heap, appearing to serve no purpose at all. Against the far wall was a television several decades out of date with a cracked screen and missing antennae. A pillow and a set of dirty sheets composed themselves into a makeshift bed on the couch. And to top it all off, the entire apartment smelled like cats. "Well, there are like a hundred Ramen packs in the cupboards." Mosely announced when he emerged from the kitchen with a six-pack of cola and a bag of chips. "At least the little guy isn't starving. Unfortunately, neither are the rats."

"Kupo! If there's one thing this place is missing, it's a woman's touch." Kili said as he stepped out of the bathroom in a T-shirt and jeans. "Only problem is, they all run screaming from the building every time we open the front door."

"You ever tried cleaning this place up?" Vik asked. Even he was a little surprised with his words.

"Countless times, kupo." Kili grumbled, flopping down on the couch and grabbing a soda from Mosely. "Somehow, it always manages to mess itself back up again. And I can't do a thing about the smell."

"I can't sssee how anyone can live in a place like thisss." Yolando remarked as he tested the dials on the TV. A spark from the glass sent him jumping back while a small cloud of smoke squeezed itself through the cracks. "It'ss a wonder how you can sssurvive three days. But it'sss a miracle how your dad can sssleep here every night!"

"Well, he's hardly ever here. The place he works at demands for long hours but offers little pay. But my dad still works there. He says the hard work helps him forget about..." He waved his hand at the room, "_this."_ The last few words pretty much summed up the whole of his father's life.

A long period of silence followed, broken only by loud sips of cola. Finally, Vik asked the question that was on everyone's minds. "Do you like being here?"

"I can't say for sure, kupo." Kili answered, crushing his empty can. "The house is a whole lot more comfortable at my Mom's place but living with them is a pain. My dad, on the other hand is pretty fun to be around. Kupo, I'm not even embarrassed to be seen in public with him. At least when he's sober." He took a deep breath and threw the can at the smoking TV, half expecting it to turn on. It didn't. "He's a great guy but his life is a mess." He continued. "He used to be a monster tracker but ever since the clan wars died, he had to find work elsewhere. The divorce did a number on him too. He just never got his priorities straight."

"Kupo! I think I've bored you with enough of my life already." The moogle said, brightening up after yet another period of silence. "I think I'm gonna save the rest of my problems for when I'm forty and seeking psychiatric help. So are you guys coming or what?" The sudden transition between moods worried the three teens but they decided not to get involved. When it came to family problems, it would be best to leave that person alone; to deal with the situation by themselves. It was what any of them would have wanted if they were in Kili's shoes. "Yeah, we wasted enough time already." Vik replied.

---

"Well guys, here it is. The Robert & Sons Clock Shop." Kili said, waving at the store in front of them. His announcement wasn't really necessary, since there was no way anyone could have missed this building. It stood between two empty lots, both covered with rubble from demolished buildings. The outside of the store was decorated with giant, interlocking ceramic gears of various sizes arranged to look like the inner workings of a clock. There were no windows and the only form of entry was the old, rotting wooden door.

"They sure chose an interesting place to build it." Mosely commented as he studied the barren lots that ran all the way to the end of the block.

"Shops used to take up this entire street but they were torn down so more apartment buildings could be put up." Kili explained, "In the end, R&S co. was the only shop that came up with enough money to drive away the bulldozers from their property. The three restaurants and the jeweler on this street combined couldn't raise that much money."

"I guess people in this neighborhood like clocks more than diamonds and food." Vik remarked as he walked up to the door and knocked against it. After a minute, there was still no answer so Vik tried the doorknob. To his surprise, it turned easily. Too easily. As the four of them filed inside, Vik inspected the handle. The side of the handle had been taken off and the bolts were removed. There was no evidence of a security system or lock latches, meaning this place was completely unprotected from burglary.

The inside of the store was probably even stranger than its exterior. The rooms were dark, seeing that the only light sources were the open doorway. Hundreds of clocks were displayed on shelves and tables, eerily ticking along in uneven rhythms. A selection of pocket-watches sat in a display case near the door. The light stopped about a 7 feet in so the back of the room was completely hidden. "Looksss like nobody'sss home." Yolando said as he felt the walls for a light switch.

"No, they're probably just in the back, kupo. No shopkeeper would leave his store unlocked when he steps out." Kili pointed out. "We just need to get him out here." Kili took a deep breath, cupped his hands over his mouth, and turned to face the back of the room. "Hey! Shopkeeper!" The moogle shouted, "You've got some customers in need of assistance out here!"

His scream echoed back at them twice but still no one came out. "Give it up, Kili. There's no one here." Vik said, leaning on a desk. But as he stood up, he felt his hand come in contact with a desk bell. As his hand came down over it, the striker sprang up and collided with the side of the bell, creating a small, metallic sound that was hardly noticeable. But almost immediately after the ring, loud shuffling could be heard coming from the back of the room. Heavy footsteps soon followed as an elderly man, dressed in a white shirt and orange smock, emerged from the darkness.

"Good day, sirs. How may I be of service?" He said, almost getting away with concealing a sneer.

"Erm...I was hoping you could help us find something." Vik responded, removing the watch from his pocket. "I found this old watch a while ago. I was wondering if you could take a look at it."

The man looked with obvious distaste at the watch but he realized he probably wasn't going to get any more customers today so he might as well submit himself. "Very well sir. Come right this way. And don't touch anything!" He walked over to one of the displays and lifted up the tablecloth. From underneath, he fished out an old gas lamp and a box of matches. "I apologize for the way things are right now." He said as he lit the dwarfish candle inside the lantern, "The construction crew accidentally cut through a power cable while they were digging a new foundation. We've been in the dark for a little over a week now."

The orange light from the lamp illuminated their path as the elderly man led them to the back of the store. Several more shelves and tables passed by before they arrived at a large wooden desk. Tiny hammers, screws, and pliers were spread across the top next to an ancient brass scale. The shopkeeper cleared a space in a corner and laid down the lantern walking around to the other side of the table. "The watch." He said, reaching forward. Vik took one look at the man's outstretched hands and felt his fingers tighten around the bronze token. Something told him this elder was not to be trusted. "Are you deaf?" The man barked, "I said give me the watch!"

Hesitantly, he laid the watch down on the table, feeling as if he were handing over all his money to a con-artist. The wrinkled hands reached down and picked it up. They turned the token around several times and traced the elaborate 'M' with their fingers. The man's face bore a calm expression, but if the four of them had taken the time to look at the meaning hidden in his eyes, they would have seen a look of shock and unease. "Where did you say you found this again?" He asked as he placed the watch on the scale and applied weights to the opposite end.

"It was just lying around in my house." He lied, shrugging to make it seem more convincing. "I never really took the time to look at it until now."

"It's missing a few grams." The man said, taking note of the scale's measurements. "I believe it's lost at least 45 of it's original mass to corrosion." He pulled open a drawer and removed some sand-paper, which he used to scratch off a portion of the rust. "Quite a bit of Patina on here. I'd say it's about a eighty years old, give or take a few years. May I?" He pointed at the latch that held the two halves of the watch closed. Vik gave him a quick nod and the man proceeded in opening the watch. He stole a short glance at the picture and drew in a sharp breath. The teens looked at him curiously for a second but he ignored their judgments and went ahead to pry open the face-plate. He tipped it on its side and poured about an ounce of sand onto the table. "It's been in the water, no doubt. Most of the gears are still intact. It's not completely beyond repair." He concluded, laying the watch back down on the table.

"That'sss it? There'sss nothing elssse you could tell usss?"

"What else do you want to know?"

"Well, for starters, you could tell us who bought it." Mosely stated.

The clocksmith shook his head. "I'm sorry. That's impossible."

"Why?"

"The electricity wasn't the only thing those construction workers cut." The man replied. "They also tore through the main water pipe. The entire basement got flooded. Since we keep our past sales records in filing cabinets down there, they got washed out and destroyed."

All four of them muttered foul words under their breath. They were sure the old man would have pounded the crap out of them if his eardrums hadn't already decomposed. "Oh well. Sorry for bothering you." Vik pronounced, reaching for the watch. "We'll just be going now."

Vik's palm had barely touched the surface of the watch when the clocksmith's hand shot forward and grabbed him around the wrist. "You know, I could fix it up for you. It just needs a few new parts and a good polishing."

"You really don't have to." Vik responded, grimacing in pain as the man's bony fingers continued to tighten around this arm. "I don't really need another watch."

"Now, now. If you're worried about the price, I'm sure we could arrive at an agreement." The elder rejoined. "Com'n, it'll make a wonderful gift."

Desperation was evident in his tone and expression. The man seemed a little too eager for him to leave the watch behind but Vik thought it to be the result of the series of misfortunes. He decided to take pity on the clocksmith, seeing that he was going to need every last piece of gil to fix up his sad excuse for a shop. "Alright! Just let go!" He shouted, lifting his hand off the table.

The second he did so, the elder released his grip on his wrist and scooped up the watch. "You'll have to make a deposit of 2500 gil. You'll pay the rest of the fee when you come to pick it up. Just leave your name, address, and phone number. We'll let you know when we're done." Reluctantly, Vik reached into his pockets and gave him the proper amount of gold before writing down his contact information on the back of a business card. "You will not be disappointed, Mr. Fellcrest." The clocksmith said, looking over the figures Vik had just written down. "We'll have your watch ready in about a month, assuming that the parts we order come on time or if we get another job."

"I highly doubt that last instance would be a problem." He muttered as he signaled for his clan to leave. They had only gone a few feet when he suddenly remembered something. "Wait for me outside. I've got one more thing to take care of." He said to the group before running back to the man's desk.

"What do you need now?" The man barked. Now that he had the boy's watch and money, there was no longer any reason for him to be polite.

"I just have something to ask you. Two things actually."

"Well, make it quick." He snapped. "I'm a very busy man."

"First of all, I'd like the watch to be engraved." Vik said, grabbing a pen and a piece of paper. "If you can fit this on the new faceplate, then please do so." He scribbled a message in cursive and handed it to the clocksmith.

"James and Olivia Fellcrest: 14 Ambermoon, 2202." He read. It was, of course, the date of a wedding. He had seen many people do this before and it posed no challenge for him. "Is that all?"

"Yes. And one more thing. I'd like to remove that picture in the top half of the watch before you start working on it."

"Remove? What for?" The man said nervously.

"It might get damaged or destroyed while you're fixing it up. I know it would be much safer if I held on to it." The man opened his mouth to retaliate but decided it was not worth the trouble. Slowly, he shoved a screwdriver between the glass of the top half and pried it open. "Thanks." Vik said, accepting the picture with a delicate grasp. He tucked the photograph into his wallet before leaving the shop.

The clocksmith watched as he walked back into the daylight, making sure he was really gone before stepping back into his office. So the boy got some picture of a girl; it didn't matter. That wasn't what he was interested in. "You haven't got the slightest idea of what you've done." He cackled, pocketing the watch and the contact info.

---

"You sure took your time, kupo." Kili grumbled as Vik emerged from the gloomy shop. "What were you doing in there?"

"Just putting together some final arrangements for my parent's present." Vik replied, pulling the door shut behind him, holding it in place until it stood still. If a thief were to come by, the best thing the owner could do was hope the thief would think it's locked.

"Oh right. Their anniversary was today." Perceived Mosely. "Like always, you waited until the last minute. I take it you forgot again?"

"Yeah." Vik scowled. "But at least I got them a nice gift. That watch is gonna be perfect once they clean it up."

"Actually, I think you should get them sssomething elssse for the time being." Yolando put in.

"Why?"

"Well, think of it like thisss. How would you like it if your parentsss gave you your Christmasss presentsss in Goldmoon (**A/N: **The Ivalice equivalent to April) ?"

"Huh. I never thought of it like that. So what do you suggest I get them?"

"Anything you want. Rosesss, cardsss, chocolatesss; they're going to get a watch anywaysss, just try to keep them happy until it'sss finished."

"Sound good to me." Kili commented as the group began to walk away. "Just don't buy them here."

---

Vik ended up buying his parents a 'Happy Anniversary' card and a small bouquet of flowers, which altogether cost him 75 gil. They said they believed Vik when he said he would give them a larger and more expensive gift later but they took it as an excuse for his tendency to forget important dates. Though this was partially true, Vik could tell they really didn't think he had a second gift. _"Oh well,"_ He thought, _"At least now it'll be a surprise."_

As if Vik wasn't already short on credibility, he lost even more points when Saria presented her gift. "Happy Anniversary!" She pronounced happily, holding out a glass wind chime in front of her.

"Oh my! Saria, this is just lovely!" Mrs. Fellcrest exclaimed, accepting the fragile keepsake with a careful grip. "You really didn't have to, you know. You're like family to us and your company all you need to give us."

"_I wish they could say the same for me..."_ Vik thought, looking daggers at Saria's gift. He didn't understand what his mom was getting so worked up about. The wind chime appeared to be extremely simple, like the kind sold for 50 gil in giftshops and craft stores. Hollow glass bulbs resembling upside-down balloons were hung from the edge of a metallic ring with clear, plastic thread. Two rods, a gold one and silver one, were twisted into a single spire and hung suspended in the center of the ring, a good distance from either 'bell'.

"Oh, it was no trouble at all." Saria answered after returning Vik's glare. "It didn't cost me a cent."

Vik's jaw almost dropped to the floor. "Don't tell me you shoplifted again!"

"No, I made it." Saria rejoined. "It wasn't hard or anything. I just melted down some glass and coins and hung them on a metal ring. I didn't steal it. I swear!"

"What did you mean by again?" Vik's father pursued, completely ignoring Saria's explanation.

"Again?" Vik backtracked on his words and realized that he had indeed said 'again', referring to the time Saria robbed practically every store of their goods. "Sorry, I must have been caught up in the moment and used the wrong words. I meant nothing by it." Saria already had a permanent place on his parent's good side, he just didn't have the heart to sully her reputation.

"Be careful of what you say in the future. Wrongful accusations can get you in heaps of trouble." His dad replied before ushering his wife out of the room. As soon as they left, Saria gave Vik a weak smile.

"Thank you for sticking up for me back there." She said before adding, "Though you wouldn't have had to if you kept your mouth shut."

"Don't mention it." He said, filtering out the last few comments as he walked towards the door. "It's what family does for eachother."

---

Seeing that Vik and Saria had to be at work by ten, Vik's parents decided to save them an extra trip by booking a hotel room in downtown Bagabu. "This'll be fun." His dad remarked as they all piled into the family car. "After we all have dinner, you guys can just walk to your job. Your mother and I would just stay behind in the hotel room until you're finished." Only Vik seemed disturbed by this. When Saria asked him why, he blushed and turned away.

"You'll understand sooner or later." He mumbled. He and Saria slept for most of the car ride, knowing that they would have to stay up until 8 AM in order to accomplish all 10 hours worth of work they were required to do daily.

Dinner was nothing special. After Vik's dad insisted on booking the presidential suite, they only had about 3000 gil left, which wasn't enough for anything fancy. Ultimately, they ended up going to the fast food district and ordered Chinese food. Saria had some difficulty when it came to using chopsticks. After countless attempts, she still couldn't pick anything up so Vik went to the Italian restaurant next door and stole a fork. He didn't think she would need a knife, since they were eating noodles.

When they finally finished eating (apparently, Saria has trouble with noodles too), they went back to the hotel and watched T.V. His parent's said they wished the teens could stay longer but Vik knew that, in truth, they wanted them gone. And fast. Now he wasn't about to disobey his parent's wishes, especially when the decision to make was that obvious. Smiling, he grabbed Saria, who was completely captivated by cable television, by the shoulders and marched her out the door, pausing only to give them a wave and a final 'happy anniversary'. "Hold on, I forgot my bag!" Saria pronounced as Vik shut the room door behind him.

After checking that the door was properly locked, Vik grabbed the 'Do Not Disturb' sign from under the doormat. "Forget it! We are not going back in there!" He retaliated, promptly hanging the sign on the handle. "Who knows what they might be doing in there?"

"But our room keys were in there." She said as they started walking towards the elevator. "And what could they possibly be doing in there that's so important that they can't be interrupted?"

"Trust me, you do **_not_** want to know."

They continued on in silence for the remainder of the trip, though Saria continued to bring up the question when Vik seemed the least unattentive, hoping he might slip up. Fortunately Vik, now aware of the girl's persistent curiosity, ignored the inquiries and made certain that she wouldn't ask anyone else. While they were waiting for the incoming plane, Saria divulged one more question that finally succeeded in catching him off guard. "So did you find out anything at the clock shop?" She asked almost casually.

"No. They just told me how old it was and forced me to let them repair it." Vik answered without looking up from his magazine. It took him a full minute to realize what he just said. Slowly, he looked up to see if Saria had misheard him, only to find a triumphant smile on her face. "I mean...I don't know what you're talking about." he said in a final but ineffective attempt to wriggle his way out.

Saria only frowned. "Stop playing dumb, Vik. I overheard you talking about it with the guys yesterday and I saw you take the watch." She said with a rather hurt expression. "How long were you planning on keeping this from me?"

There was nothing else he could do now, Saria had him backed into a corner. _"You might as well come clean."_ His brain advised. "Well, I wasn't planning on telling you anytime soon." He answered, "But I wasn't going to keep it private forever. Only until I've found out everything. Who you are, where you came from; you know what I mean."

"I want to find out about my past just as much as you do." The girl responded, "So why do you feel that you should keep something like this secret from me?"

"It's not that simple!" Vik said in a firm yet sympathetic tone. "Over time, we've all come to accept who we are and the lives we lead. We treasure its deformities and polish its remarkable aspects. You, however, are a special case. You might not like what you find out about yourself."

Saria put across a curious look. "So you were trying to protect me?"

Suddenly embarrassed, Vik looked down at the ground and answered while studying his shoelaces. "I guess you could call it that." He rejoined. "I just don't want to see you disappointed. You might regret ever wanting to find out."

"I won't regret it. Nothing can be worse than being nobody." She, too, stared at her feet for a second before poking her face into Vik's viewing angle and giving him a small smile. "So no more secrets, okay?" It was a bit uncomfortable having Saria's face so close to his so Vik sat up straight and lightly pushed her head away before answering. "Alright, no more secrets."

---

The clocksmith stood patiently in the center of his office, clutching the rusted watch to his chest. It had been a several hours since the teens had left and the old man was getting impatient. Suddenly, the air around the room began to cackle as static began to form in the corner of the room. From nowhere, huge gusts of wind began flowing towards the sparks. Within seconds, a hole had opened. Taking it as if it were a holy symbol, the clocksmith knelt on one knee, whispering prayers under his breath. As the wind began to die down, a being made entirely of shadow, even darker in comparison to the room, emerged from the rift. Before him he pushed a wheelchair, bearing an elderly man in priest robes.

As soon as the wheelchair rolled to a stop, the clocksmith presented him with the watch. The priest spent a good amount of time looking at it, turning it around in his hands to examine the craftsmanship and detail. When he finally finished, he only said one thing: "Where in the world did you find this?"

"A boy brought it in to me just earlier today." The clocksmith rose from his genuflection to a respectful kneel, making sure to keep his head down low. If he did as much as look at him a weird way, Neo-Zaora would take it as a sign of insolence. The closer he was to the ground, the safer he would be. "I got him to leave it with me after promising to repair it." He continued, "It's the Martyr's watch, is it not?"

"I have no doubt that it is." The reverend responded, running his fingers along the edge of the token. "But why did you feel it was important enough for call me down here just to see it?"

"Sir, this man has been dead for over 14 years!" The clocksmith replied, slumping his shoulders in an attempt to get even lower. "The sudden appearance of one of his possessions could mean-"

"If what you're trying to say..." Neo-Zaora cut off, "Is that somehow, the Martyr has returned, you are sorely mistaken. It's just not possible."

"Why not? We already know of the existence of reincarnation. You of all people would know, having experienced it for yourself."

"Indeed I have." The reverend said grimly before placing the watch back on the table. "But resurrection is something completely different. Even the White Mages have yet to advance past revival."

"Yes, but there's always the possibility that he wasn't dead in the first place!" The elder exclaimed, rising to his feet. This was, of course, the greatest form of disrespect you could show to your king but Neo-Zaora was too tired to notice.

"Now you are just getting paranoid." He mumbled, motioning for the shadowmancer's attention. "Sharu, take us back. I am in no condition to be out of bed, especially for petty situations like this."

"It's not petty! I know it was him!" The clocksmith shouted to their receding backs. "His eyes! They were amber!"

Upon hearing the words, the pair suddenly stopped. The reverend pulled himself from the shadowmancer's grip and wheeled himself right up to the Clockmaker. "Repeat your last words!" He ordered.

"I said his eyes were amber." The man said, looking down his nose at the confined priest. "Now how many people have that amazing quality?"

Now Neo-Zaora was hardly ever wrong so so he felt the clocksmith's newly acquired self-important feeling was well deserved. He suppressed his anger and forced a wicked smile back on his face. "It could still be a coincidence but we better keep an eye on him." He replied. "Did you get his name?"

"Oh, I got much more than that." The clocksmith answered, handing him a card.

"Vik Fellcrest..." The priest read. He quickly looked over the remaining information before pocketing the card. "I just have one more question. If this boy were the reincarnation of the Martyr, why would he so willingly give up his most prized possession?"

"Perhaps his memories are being repressed until the time is right. When that might be is impossible to tell."

"That may be the case. Or perhaps he's not who we think he is..." The priest signaled the shadowmancer, who immediately twisted himself back into a portal. "But if he is, this could very easily destroy all we have been working towards. I'll need some time to decide what to do. He could be an extremely valuable asset to our organization. But if he chooses to go against us, I won't hesitate to kill him." And with that, the reverend turned himself around and wheeled himself into the rift.

---

**A/N:** Hey all, sorry 'bout the...extremely delayed update. I've brought along the usual list of excuses with me: School, homework, and my eventual-debut web comic. Seriously, every time I go to school my friends shout: "Where's the comic? Did you finish the comic? You know what you should be working on? Here's a hint, it starts and ends with C." I've still got a lot of work to do on that. Hopefully, the next chapter would be up sooner. At least now that it's winter break, I'll have a LOT more time to work on it. Unless I get stuck in another hole in the plot line, which I have done so many times in this chapter alone.


	17. Blue Tulips and Firethorns

**Blue Tulips and Firethorn**

After days of strategically divided enticement, Mosely had finally convinced Vik to try another weapon. _"It's just not working out."_ Mosely's voice resounded in the Omnivari's memory. _"The reason knuckles are used by Bangaa is because it takes advantage of their brute strength, which you don't have apparently."_

"Here, try this one!" Mosely shouted. He emerged from the back room carrying a longsword which he promptly handed to Vik.

Vik looked over the blade from base to tip. An eighteen-inch blade stood affixed to a leather-bound handle; a foot-long fuller was cut along either flat. It was a lot heavier than the claws Vik was used to using, which probably meant it hurt more on the receiving end. "So basically, I just run in somewhere and just start swinging this around like a maniac?"

"That's the idea." Mosely responded, selecting another blade from the stand. "Just try and do it in an organized way."

Vik's eyes narrowed. "Care to explain how that would work?"

"Well...I could pretty much sum it all up in two words-" He said, pulling two wooden swords from the case and tossing one at Vik. "Defend yourself!" He gave Vik three seconds to understand the current situation before charging at him, holding his blade parallel to his legs.

Gripping the handle tightly with both hands, Vik extended his own sword, successfully intercepting Mosely's upward slash. "_Hey, that wasn't so hard..."_. It didn't stop there, however. Mosely suddenly forced his sword upwards, knocking Vik's blade back before swinging at his side. Vik quickly moved to block it. He felt the pressure on the sword as the two blades connected but the opposing weapon still managed to tap his ribcage.

"Nice reaction." Mosely commented, swinging at Vik's head. "Try blocking with the forte when you're fighting at a really close range. You'll have more control over it than the edge."

Vik ducked, avoiding the blade by a hair's breadth. "Would you mind telling me where that is?" He inquired, fixing the sword into a stabbing position by moving his left hand over the pommel. He forced it point-first at Mosely's leg but he parried it, knocking the sword aside before landing a kick on the back. Vik toppled over onto his back, regaining control of his weapon just in time to catch Mosely's downward swing.

"Easy, it's the part right here." Mosely answered, moving his sword along Vik's horizontal blade until it reached the the area right in front of the cross guard. "You'll be able to apply more strength because it's closer to the hilt and therefore, your hands."

"Fascinating." Vik commented sarcastically, bring both his knees up to his chest and bracing his both his feet on Mosely's stomach before kicking the teenage soldier off of him. A full set of fitted chain mail absorbed most of the impact but it was still enough to send Mosely flying back a few feet. The both sprang back onto their feet and charged at eachother. Mosely tipped his weapon onto his right and once again swung at Vik's side. Only this time, Vik was ready. Lowering his sword, he caught the opposing blade a good 3 inches from its target.

"Good. You're catching on." Mosely stated, breaking the cross and retreating a couple steps. "So what do you think of sword fighting so far."

Vik shrugged. "It has it's advantages." He admitted, "They're sharp, tough, and easy to handle. I'm still not sure if I like it, though. They're a whole lot better than hard knuckles, I can tell you that much."

"That's good to hear. At least you're on the right track." Mosely laughed, "It's nice to know you're going to start using a _real_ weapon."

---

Two weeks into the job, Captain Acheron decided to give the support clan a 'break' by sending them all on a dispatch mission. Though they were thankful for the down time from government busy work, the mission they were being sent on seemed a bit odd. "Please finish clearing out the field north of my house." Elena read, "I want the grass harvested for hay before the storm hits tomorrow – Alise: Sphrom Farmer."

"Sssince when isss thisss the government'sss businesss?" Yolando hissed, "I mean, thisss isss farming! Why do you even have to sssend all of usss? And armed, no lesss."

"There's another side to this, isn't there?" Vik asked solemnly.

The captain nodded. "Indeed there is." He answered, pulling out a manila folder from his desk shelf and flipping through it. "You see, about a week ago, the woman's husband went out to clear that very field. About an hour later, she heard a wild scream followed shortly for her husband's cry for help. She called up the neighbors for help before running to the husband herself. They found him lying face down on the ground covered in bruises. After he was hospitalized, a diagnosis revealed he had several broken bones and was bleeding internally. They have him in critical condition at Mercier Hospital. He's in no condition to talk but we think he was attacked by monsters."

Monsters. That makes sense. Recapturing them had been the main concern of the palace's main concern since the outbreak. "So what are we dealing with here, kupo?" Kili questioned, "Malboros? Leatherbacks?"

"There have been some reports of Antlions stealing livestock in that area so it's safe to assume you'll be dealing with those." Nicholas returned, "We're not entirely sure but if you run into anything, be sure to bring back the corpses." Having nothing else to say, the teens got up, saluting their captain before leaving the room. They were a bit disappointed that their 'break' mainly involved cutting grass and hunting bugs, but at least it was a lot more exciting than paperwork.

Before the mission could even start, they ran into their first problem: transportation. Sphrom was a good 60 miles away from Bagabu, which would take them about 20 hours to walk to on foot. Taking an airplane there was kind of redundant and the option of riding the rails was ruled out, seeing that they couldn't just pile a hundred dead scarabs into a train car. Luckily, an employee at the Monster Holding wing of the airport agreed to give them a ride in the company pickup truck. When Vik saw there was only enough room in the front to seat one other passenger, he made a mental note not to be the last one back during the return trip. There was no way he was going to sit in the cargo trunk with animal corpses. _"Now, now, you're getting ahead of yourself again. First you have to worry about killing the monsters."_ His brain vocalized as Vik took a seat on top of a picnic icebox which, regrettably, was empty. Sad to say, the winner of the front-seat race was Elena. She would be relaxing next to an air conditioner while listening to her favorite radio station while the rest of them sat outside in the baking summer day. At least the truck driver was thoughtful enough to set up a canopy over them to shield them from the sun, even though there were holes in it.

"I just realized something..." Kili uttered about ten minutes after their departure. "Why does this woman seem to care more about some grass getting harvested than eliminating those creatures that trampled her husband, kupo? Don't you think it would have received more attention if she said 'Kill those giant bugs in my backyard' instead?"

"She wasss probably trying to sssave sssome money." Kili raised an eyebrow, which informed Yolando to explain further. "Pubmastersss are money-hungry individualsss. If a mission ssseemsss important, they could easily charge you over 500 gil more than they would if it were a harmlesss dispatch mission. Ssseeing that farmersss usually don't receive income until harvest ssseason, I'm guessing Alissse wasss a bit short on cash."

"Kupo. I guess that makes sense. But don't you think since it sounds so harmless, kupo, that it would attract only weaker units?"

"Hmm...you've got a point there." Yolando disclosed, "I guess she really does just want that grass harvested."

"She could of at least warned us about the bugs somewhere on the request." Saria put in.

"Farmers tend to be forgetful." Vik returned, leaning his head against the cooler as he tried to get some sleep before they got there. It was a fruitless attempt, however, since the road ahead was filled with pot holes.

---

"Do any of the rest of you get the feeling that we're wasting our summer?" Kili asked as he tied up their third Bushel. The other clan members nodded glumly. They had rushed into the field, expecting to find it crawling with Antlions and Jawbreakers. What the did find, in reality, was about 3 acres of untamed earth. Yellow blades of grass shot up from the ground in random angles, overlapping with trees and bushes. By this time, the sun reached its summit and a cloudless sky allowed the detestable rays to beat down on Clan Senbunsu. About half an hour in, they abandoned their armor; the only bugs they had seen so far were Aphids and it was only weighing them down. Wearing chain mail during the summer was like sitting in a double boiler.

"Quit complaining and get back to work!" Elena shouted from across the field. "That lady's paying us 2000 gil to clear this field but she said we aren't going to see a single cent until we finish. Now if you don't mind, I'd like to finish sometime before nightfall."

"Like you're one to talk." Vik mumbled, grabbing another handful of grass and cutting it as close to the roots as he could. They had all been provided with sickles, which worked much better than flat blades when it came to agriculture. They were also advised to work by sections instead of working row by row. _'Try finding a section that's about a 3 yards in diameter.'_ Alise's voice resounded in his brain, _'Clear out a space in the center first and then work around it. That way, you'll have room to throw each knot into a pile which can be tied up and added to a bushel. It saves you some time since you won't have to walk back and forth.'_ Even though they took her advice, it did almost nothing to speed up the process.

"Ow!" Exclaimed a voice from behind him. Vik turned around to see who it was and found Saria sucking disgruntedly on her index finger. It took him a while to recognize her, since it was the first time he had seen her in her job outfit. Her decision to be a Red Mage was resolute but in order for her to start, she needed some fencing experience. Her fencer dress didn't stray too far away from the original design but instead drew inspiration from modern culture. Frog buttons held the bright purple wadded shirt together at the shoulder and continued down the side of the waist, ending in a small leather loop used to hold a Rapier. The skirt extended all the way past the knee, but slits were cut on either side to improve mobility. Since the slits went all the way up until they met the buttons, the self-conscious Saria decided to wear a pair of knee-high pink socks to conceal her bare legs. She topped off her little outfit with a plastic headband, which was pushed all the way back to keep her hair out of her face.

Catching Vik's gaze, Saria used her free hand to point at the section in front of her. The look in her eyes implored Vik to investigate it. Sighing, Vik tossed aside the handful of grass and trudged over to the girl. Using the end of his sickle, he poked around in the designated area until he uncovered a small bush of red berries. "Relax, it's just a Firethorn bush." He said as he dug his sickle into the ground and uprooted the plant. "It's pretty common around these parts. It's not poisonous or anything; just watch out for the thorns." He took her hands into his palms and examined them. A small path of bloody wounds trekked diagonally across the girl's hand. "Dear lord, did you grab the whole thing? I thought you just pricked your finger!" He exclaimed as he dampened a handkerchief with the contents of his canteen and cleaned the blood off the cuts. The girl opened her mouth to thank him but was interrupted when a wooden bucket dropped by her feet.

"We're really working up a sssweat" Yolando hissed, dropping a second bucket next to Vik's. "And it'sss your turn to get the water. The tap's about half a mile north from here; just follow the road. It might ssseem a bit far but it'sss the only place to get clean water."

Vik stared daggers at the two wooden buckets but shrugged off his feeling of hatred in a second. "You wouldn't happen to have any bandages on you right now, would you?" He asked in a tone like nothing had happened.

Yolando gave him a weird look. "Do you need one?" Vik only pointed at Saria, who was still nursing her wounded hand. Sighing, Yolando reached into his pocket and produced a small roll of beige tape, which he promptly handed to Vik. "Try being more careful around Pyracanthasss." He advised as Vik wrapped up Saria's hand.

As he finished tying up the cast, Vik raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

"It'sss the Firethorn'sss ssscientific name." The bangaa explained, reaccepting the bandages from Vik's outstretched hand. "And bring your own medical sssupplies next time. I not going to be idly waiting around here for your next accident. You of all people should know better, seeing that both your parents are doctors."

"Yeah, whatever." The human grumbled as he took a bucket by the handles with each hand and started his hike towards the well. He had gone only about a hundred steps when a figure ran up behind him and gently pulled the bucket from his right. Vik looked up in bewilderment only to find Saria walking next to him, slowly swinging the bucket back and forth.

"Thank you." She said, smiling happily. "It doesn't hurt so much now!"

Vik only nodded. "You really don't have to help me, you know." He reached for the other bucket but Saria kept it at an arm's length.

"But you helped me. I have to pay you back somehow."

"No you don't, it was a favor. That means I did it for you and for you alone." He grabbed again for the bucket but Saria quickly moved it behind her back. "Getting retribution for a selfless act kind of defeats the purpose of doing it in the first place."

"Okay. Then I'll do a _favor_ for you!" She said, skipping ahead a few steps so Vik wouldn't make any more attempts.

"Alright, fine. You can help." Vik exclaimed, waving his right hand in defeat. "Just try not to use your left hand so much. You'll weaken the bandages."

By the time they reached the main road, the two of them fell silent. Saria's inquisitive nature and Vik's proclivity towards complaining were both being suppressed by a feeling of insecurity. There was something about the area around them that made the teens feel unwelcome. When they reached the tap, they took a few gulps of water before filling up their buckets and starting the journey back. They decided rush back as quickly as the sloshing buckets would allow. They didn't dare look in any direction but ahead as the feeling they were being watched multiplied. Perhaps what happened next was inevitable.

They were about 2 minutes away from the field when Vik noticed his companion was walking unsteadily; she had completely stopped putting pressure on her left leg. After confirming that it had nothing to do with the weight of the bucket, he strode in front of the girl and turned around to face her. "Saria, why are you limping?" Vik asked, beckoning for her to stop by laying down his bucket right in the middle of the road.

"Limping? What do you mean?" She responded innocently, though that was tone of voice that was normally used when one is hiding something.

"I mean why aren't you walking on your left foot? Is it sprained or something?"

"No. I'm fine. Really!"Saria tried to take a step back but in doing so, she asserted her weight onto her left foot. A sudden pang of agony shot up her leg, forcing her to return to her original position. "Please don't make a big deal out of this." She whispered as she accepted defeat. Saria looked down at the floor and noticed her deeply ashamed expression in the water's reflection. It was only visible for a second more as a series of tears broke the liquid's surface.

Vik sighed. "You better sit down. It'll only get worse if you don't rest." He remarked as he reached down for her bucket. His hand had closed around the handle and still she didn't fight it. Slowly, he pulled the bucket from the girl's hands and laid it down next to his. She swayed a bit due to the change in weight but Vik propped her up and walked her to the side of the road, laying her down in a shaded area on the edge of a large paddock. He waited for her to calm down a bit before removing her shoes.

Had she been fully conscious, Saria would have definitely protested when Vik removed her sock, since he was way too high up her leg for his own good. But this was neither the time or the place for perverted thoughts so she allowed him to remove the article of clothing. For Vik, however, it was definitely an odd position and he blushed fiercely as the relative images poured into his mind. Fortunately, the level of awkwardness slightly decreased when Saria decided to strike up a conversation. "You should get back to camp." She said.

Vik gave her a surprised look. "Why?"

"They're expecting us to bring back water. We can't keep them waiting."

Vik only smiled and continued looking over her foot. "Don't worry, they have plenty of water left. Alise gave us four buckets, remember?" He twisted her foot lightly to the side. "Does that hurt?" Saria nodded, squinting her eyes as she fought back tears. "Sorry." He apologized quickly before continuing. "Before we started, we filled up all four of them with drinking water. Since we were so far away from a source when half of the water is used up, we send someone to fill up the two empty buckets. That way, we'll have a constant water supply." Finally, he took her sock and bunched it up into a pillow on the ground. After resting the foot onto it, he rushed back to the water buckets and wet his handkerchief, which he then laid over the swollen ankle. "Besides, I can't just leave you here alone by yourself." He said, smiling warmly. "You'll be Antlion food."

She hands suddenly clenched up into knuckles on her lap. "I'm not weak, Vik." She said, hiding her face by making eye contact only with the ground. "If danger were to present itself, I would be ready. I don't need you to fight my battles for me; I can do that on my own!"

Vik wasn't sure how to react to this but the back of his brain seemed to feed the words into his mouth. "I don't think you're weak. You're the strongest person I know." Vik had know idea why he chose to say it. Heck, he didn't even know if he really meant it. But in that moment, Saria's face lit up and all doubts he had against those words were blown out of his mind. "I'm gonna go see if I can find something to use as a brace or a crutch." He said, wanting an excuse to break off from the current situation. Wordlessly, he got up and walked into the dark woods behind them.

Back at the tree, Saria exhaled sharply. She was still trying to comprehend what had just happened, though she knew it was a giant step away from the usual. "Vik..."A small smile tugged at the side of her lips but she ignored it. "You big dummy!" She concluded with a laugh. Drawing in a relaxing breath, she folded her hands behind her head and admired her surroundings. Now that the sun was out of sight, the beauty of summer began to reveal itself around her. The branches swayed rhythmically in the light breeze as tiny rays of light broke through the heavy canopy of leaves onto a small pile of blue tulips by the trunk. _"Hm...I wonder how one of those flowers would look in my hair."_ Merrily, she reached over and plucked a stem from the pile. But when she did, an angry roar filled her ears.

---

"Vik sure is taking a long time with that water." Mosely remarked as they tied up the last bushel. "I wonder what's keeping him." Yolando chuckled, receiving curious looks from Kili, Mosely, and Elena.

"What's so funny, kupo?" Kili asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, nothing. It'sss just...I saw Sssaria running after Vik and...oh, nevermind." He didn't finish his theory, but he had said enough for everyone to get where he was going.

"Pervert!" Elena shouted, throwing a fistful of hay at the bangaa's face. "She'll never give into that...that _sloth_!"

"Hey, I'm only telling you what I sssaw." Yolando replied, blowing a blade of grass off the end of his nose. "Whether you choossse to believe it or not isss up to you to decide."

"Well, it is possible but I highly doubt it's true." Mosely put in. "There are countless problems they could have ran into. Maybe they got lost or their buckets sprung a leak. Or maybe-" A loud roar brought Mosely's explanation to break off. They covered their ears as the thundering voice blew past them, shaking the earth as it resounded off ground and anything else that was in its way. It continued to ring across the plains ten seconds after it stopped, though a sequence of muted roars could still be heard coming from the north of the road.

"What the hell was that?" Elena shouted when their hearing returned. She looked around at her clanmates. They each had the same look as the person next to them; the exact same expression that was on her own. No words were exchanged between them but they knew what they had to do. Stopping only for a second to grab their weapons, they sprinted towards the road in the direction of the cry.

---

Vik didn't know what was happening. One minute he was breaking twigs off a sapling, the next he was slammed into the side of a tree. Jolts of pain surged through his entire nervous system as the impact resounded through his body and rattled his bones. His mouth opened in shock, allowing a mouthful of blood to pour from the sides of his lip. Though his vision was a bit blurry, he could still somewhat make out what had attacked him, though it really helped that it was only 2 feet away holding him against the tree. It was ten-feet tall with golden-brown 'skin', at least he thought it was skin. The creature had a head resembling a goat. A pair of horns sprouted from the top of its forehead and spread outwards and long, rippled mane surrounded its head. It was wearing a full set of upper body armor, silver in color with black elbow guards. Its hands were surprisingly off proportion with his body, almost the same size as his chest. They were covered by black and gold gauntlet which, when seen from above, appears to the viewer as a giant, circular shield. On the hand they were holding him, Vik made out a small bronze ring on the index finger. But the most peculiar detail about this creature was the fact that it was made completely out of wood, yet it was moving as freely as a human would. A pair of wooden wings, which sprouted from the beast's back, were folded menacingly at its side. It had no feet but instead was connected to the ground by a set of roots. "A...tree?" Vik managed to murmur for with every syllable, a rush of pain filled his chest. It was at this time when the creature did something completely unexpected: it spoke.

"You humans are all the same." He growled, loosening his grip and allowing Vik to slide onto the floor. "You think you could move in anywhere and do as you please. You don't stop once to think about how your actions affect others. You are destroying the earth but you don't seem to care." Vik could only stare faintly at the towering figure. He was helpless. His entire body was still numb from impact and his brain was still going through the aftershock. "You _people_ are the real monsters; at least the animals put back what they take from the land." It continued, picking up the branches Vik had broken off the sapling. Vik stared in aw as they simply melted into his hands. The creature drew a finger and pointed to his left. Following the gesture, Vik watched as the twigs grew back onto the tree. Even the leaves he had plucked from the stems regenerated. The tree emitted another growl and waved at his left again. Looking closer, Vik realized he wasn't pointing at the tree, but at the road. "Get out." The armored tree snarled. "Get out before you meet the same fate as that farmer."

Gradually, Vik pulled himself to his feet by supporting himself against the trunk. He could feel the creature watching him as he slowly limped towards the road. He had only gone three steps when something stopped him. It was a voice; Saria's voice to be exact. Though he knew she was sitting by a tree several yards away, the voice sounded as she were right next to him. He quickly glanced at the armored tree and found him glancing from side to side in confusion. _'He hears it too.'_ He registered.

"_Hm...I wonder how one of those flowers would look in my hair." _Were her words. To Vik, they didn't seem like anything extraordinary. Girls had a knack for putting things in their hair. But as he glanced over at the armoured tree, a look of pure terror was on his face. "No...stop! Pl-" He called out. An ear-splitting crack echoed through the forest, cutting his plea short. The tree roared in pain, clutching his chest.

At that time, a single word flashed through Vik's brain: run. With fear as his anesthetic, he dug his feet into the earth as he sprang into a dash. Behind him, the tree was ripping apart the earth in a blinding rage. Two loud snaps were heard as it pulled its roots up from the ground, twisting the countless limbs into a pair of legs. The dusty road appeared up ahead and Vik pumped his legs even harder as he attempted to gain some ground. The tree was in hot pursuit, tearing through obstacles with wild fists. Shielding his eyes with his palm, he broke into the sunlight and scrambled over to the edge of the paddock where Saria was sitting. In her hands, she clutched the bud of a blue tulip; her eyes were a mix of confusion and terror. "We need to get out of here, now!" He shouted, trying to pull her onto her feet. But she refused to move, staring transfixed at the entrance of the woodlands. Without warning, a black and gold fist tore through the barrier of trunks, forcing them aside to make room for its body.

"You..." The tree stammered, his gaze falling on the bewildered girl. "How dare you tamper with the life stream. With _my_ life stream!" With a blink of an eye, the world around Vik changed. Streams of purple light flowed all around them, gathering into the tree's outstretched palm. At the same time, another stream of purple shot out from his feet and formed a path right over Vik and Saria. "Vik! Saria! Run!" Called an unseen voice but it was too late. With an uncontrolled roar, it brought its hand down onto the ground, sending a wave of earth at the clanners. Without giving it a second thought, Vik threw himself on top of Saria, shielding her as the wave came crashing down over them.

---

"What the hell is that thing..." The 4 clanners stopped short in their steps as they witnessed the creature's entrance from the opposite end of the road. They watched in awe as it emerged from the forest, only to turn away from the fear-stricken teens. Somehow, they were able to tear their gaze away from the colossus onto the beings next to it. Huddled together a few yards from the creature's feet were two humans, a male and a female. It only took them a fraction of a second to realize who they were.

"Vik! Saria! Run!" Mosely called as the beast raised his hands to attack. It was a useless warning, for the thought had already crossed both of the human's minds even before the arrival of the others. The problem was that there was no place to run _to_. The four of them looked on helplessly as the creature brought his hand down, causing a wall of earth to spring up and crash down onto their friends.

"Oh my god!" Elena uttered, cupping her hand over her mouth to keep herself from screaming.

Kili sank to his knees, shaking uncontrollably. "We were too late, kupo."

"_This is all my fault."_Yolando thought, feeling his fists clench into fists.

Up until now, the armoured tree had hardly noticed the presense of the others. Though it might have been a good idea to keep it this way, Mosely chose to speak up. "MONSTER!" Mosely bellowed in its direction. It was apparent that it had heard him, because it looked up from its current prey and turned to face the others. "This..will..not stand!" Mosely continued, breathing with rage as he unsheathed his sword. "You will pay for the harm you brought upon our friends." Around him his clanmates did the same, composing themselves for battle before drawing their respective weapons.

---

The creature looked down upon the clanners in a pitied manner. They were mere children, yet they dared to raise a sword at him. He reviewed the small crowd, stopping when its eyes crossed over the Viera. _"So, even my own people are against me."_ It thought, smiling with mild amusement. _"Fine then. If it's a fight they want.."_ It pushed his hand onto the ground, flowing his aura into the bed of clay beneath its feet. A spire rose from the earth, growing until it was almost as tall as its creator. As it neared completion, the armoured tree pulled it from the ground and swung it around his head like a club. "_Then a fight they will receive!"_

---

"Scatter!" Mosely shouted as the club came crashing down over them. The four of them darted in four different directions, narrowly avoiding the being flattened by the clay. Mosely, Kili, and Yolando circled around the armoured tree as Elena notched an arrow into her bow. Yolando started off the attack; his powerful legs pushed him off the ground, propelling him fist-first at the back of the beast's head. It reached out to block him but was interrupted when an arrow whizzed past his ear and embedded itself in its neck. The attack hurt no more than splinter but the split-second pain was just the distraction Yolando needed to land a heavy blow to the creature's skull. It stumbled around, dazed from the resulting concussion. Elena notched three more arrows and continued firing at its face. Its hand reached out blindly in the direction of the missiles, trying to grab at the persisting archer. His attempt was intercepted by Mosely, who drove his sword into a crevice between two armor-plates on the creature's palm. Roaring with pain, he slammed the back of his wounded fist into Mosely, knocking him into Elena. In surprise, she released the arrow she had just hooked. It flew straight upwards, finding its mark on the tree's left eye.

A painful growl emitted from the creature's throat. It stumbled backwards only to get knocked forward by another jump-attack to the head from the bangaa. "Yolando!" Kili called as he touched down next to him. "Throw me."

"What?"

"Just do it. I've got an idea." Shrugging, the bangaa lifted the moogle over his shoulder and chucked the him at the beast's head. Still blinded by the arrow, it made no attempts to stop him. As he neared its face, Kili extended his knife blade and twisted himself sideways. His feet made contact with its collarbone, his spiked boots made it possible for him to hit the ground running as he dragged the knife across the creature's neck. It was the first attack that actually did any damage to the armoured tree. It reeled back his head and issued another earsplitting roar.

Its consciousness slipped from its mind, replaced only with unbridled rage. Kili was nearly at its shoulder when it's right hand reached up and captured him. Another series of arrows made its way for its face but it simply swatted them away before hurling the moogle to the ground. The bangaa moved to catch the furry meteor an oaken boot caught him in the chest, launching him backwards right into a boulder. With two down, the armoured tree's gaze fell on the two remaining. "I hope it was worth it." The creature laughed as it raised his hands up to his sides, invisible aura pouring from his palms. They snaked along the ground, being sure to surround the two teens before twisting themselves into archaic symbols. "Breath of God!" The creature shouted, clapping his hands together. Following the crack of his palms, the area beneath Mosely and Saria suddenly exploded into purple flames.

---

"Vik...help. It's dark!" Saria called out. Her voice seemed muffled but that's what you'd expect when you're buried under a layer of soil. She tried to get up but found her legs pressed against the ground. "Vik!" She shouted out. "Elena! Kili! Anybody!" Her voice resounded in her ears but her call remained unreturned. See that it was pointless to continue shouting, Saria laid her head against the back wall. Luckily for her, the wave had formed a small pocket when it came crashing down around them. Though air and water were plentiful, due to the loosely packed earth, there was no source of food, except maybe bugs. _"No! Don't even start thinking about bugs!"_ Her brain cried out.

Eventually, as her eyes began to adjust to the darkness, she realized that it wasn't the soil that was pinning her down. It was a person. "Vik?" She breathed,._"Of course. Who else would it be?"_ Her brain remarked sarcastically as she tried desperately to wake him up by shaking him by the shoulders. "Vik! Com'n! We have to get out of here. I need your help...please..." She reached over to the boys hands and gripped them tightly between her own. They felt cold and lifeless. "Are you...? No...Vik, you can't be gone! Don't leave me alone. Don't leave me..." She released her grip on the boy's hands and held herself by the forearms. "Don't...please...I'm scared..."

And then she saw it. Embedded in the earth above her shoulder was a small blue tulip; the thing that started it all. "It was my fault..." She whispered emotionlessly. "It was all my fault." It was her carelessness that started this whole ordeal. It was her weakness that failed to prevent it. It was her ignorance that almost got her killed. And finally, her mere existence was what gotten Vik in this whole affair and now, he had paid the ultimate price.

"Enough." She whispered, her eyes suddenly growing hard. "I'm sick of being weak. I'm sick of relying on others. I'm sick of it all." She turned herself onto her side, her hand closing around the Silver Rapier sheathed in the loop. "No longer shall I be a burden to those I love. No longer shall my friends pay the price for my actions." She whispered, touching the flat of the blade to her forehead. "It is time to stand alone." And with that, she turned the blade upwards and thrust it through the ceiling. Immediately, the pocket began to fill with dirt but Saria clawed fiercely at the newly made rift, making sure that it didn't all fall in at once and bury her alive. In a matter of seconds, she broke through the surface and sunlight poured into the cave. She continued digging, widening the hole until it was wide enough for her to climb through. When it was over 2 feet in diameter, she reached down and pulled Vik off of her, with much difficulty, before climbing out onto overturned soil.

---

Turning back from the incinerated teens, the armoured tree caught sight of the human girl crawling up from the earth about a yard from where it stood. "You're still alive?" He exclaimed in disbelief. "Impossible!" The girl ignored his cry, her gaze affixed on the gruesome scene before them. The Moogle laid motionless on the ground a couple feet from her. On his right lying against a rock was the Bangaa, a stream of blood trickled from his ear along the surface of the boulder. And behind the colossus's feet were the bodies of a human and a Viera, both covered in nasty burn marks, their faces twisted into permanent agony.

"What have you done?" She cried out in despair. "They have done nothing wrong! I'm the one who should suffer! Not them," A trembling hand reached for the rapier sticking up from the earth. "Not them..." She repeated, gripping the weapon tightly by the handle as she stared up at the spirit with vengeful eyes.

"It really doesn't matter to me." The beast replied without paying her much attention and instead reviewed the damage he had received in the previous battle. "They attacked me and I did what I needed to ensure survival. It's the way nature intended us to be."

"They were avenging me and they had every right to do so!" Saria shouted in return. "But how will you understand these kinds of things? You've never experienced human affection, have you? Well guess what?" She opened up her left hand, revealing the bulb of the blue tulip she had picked. "You can just crawl right back into the earth and rot." As she spoke the words, her fingers closed themselves around the flower, crushing the pedals little by little.

The creature roared in pain as it swiped angrily at the human girl. Saria quickly sidestepped, spinning around as the fist passed by and stabbing her rapier at its wrist. It sunk in a full inch but the beast, already overwhelmed by rage, thought nothing of it and instead reached out with his left hand and pinned the girl to the ground. As she was forced downwards, Saria knocked her head against a rock and her vision immediately grew fuzzy.

"No...not like this..." She whispered. As her consciousness slowly slipped away, she gripped one of the beasts fingers, desperately trying to lift it off. "It can't end like this..." Above her, the armoured tree brandished the knuckle of his free hand, the rapier still stuck its wrist. _"I can't die like this."_

The beast smiled wickedly as he curled his fingers into a fist. The girl's life was literally in its hands and would take but a single motion to end it. "You're finished." He pronounced, though the girl was already unconscious so there was no way she could have heard him. "But don't worry, I'm going to send you to the same place I sent your friends..." He leveled his elbow to his head and pointed its armoured fist downwards. He moved his left hand downwards to allow him to deal a clear shot at the girl's upper body. "To hell; beyond the river Styx!"

---

The armoured tree blinked in confusion. He felt his arm move as he flowed every last drop of strength into that punch. He had watched as his hand came barreling downwards as the girl laid motionless underneath it. She couldn't have done a thing to stop him but here he was, his fist a mere inch from her face but he couldn't bring himself to finish the deed. Only when he tried to pull back did he realize something was wrapped around his wrist. Upon closer inspection, he realized it was a hand. It was only about half the size of his own hands but were far bigger than a human's and were blue. _"No, it can't be..."_ The tree brooded when his gaze crossed the ring. It resembled his own in shape and form but was gold instead of bronze. He looked up to confirm his suspicions but instead was greeted by the second hand right in the face. The force of the punch sent him flying backwards 5 yards and rolling for 10 more. He wasted no time in getting up, turning to face his attacker with an infuriated glare. "Ultima!"

From across the field, the totema gave him an acidulous smile. "Hello Exodus. Long time, no see." She returned as she reached down and scooped Saria into her hand. "I see you still haven't learned to control your temper."

---

**A/N:** I am not killing off all my characters. They may be dead now, but come on! This is a land of magic! I hope you don't find my description of Exodus a little weird. It may be strange, but it's accurate. The next time you summon Exodus, take a closer look at it. It has a goat head, wings, and oversized hands. Another thing I'd like to make clear is that I have no experience in farming whatsoever. Most of the events in this chapter was created from information I found on google. Is there anyone out there that knows how long it takes to harvest an acre or if there are actually any Pyracantha's there?


	18. Family Relations

**A/N: **Alright! I finally got around to fixing that crappy summary! It's much more interesting now, eh? I'm also in the middle of revising some of my chapters but it's nothing big. I'm just going to fix some of the text so it'll sound more interesting and fill in a few holes in the storyline. Sorry if this chapter was late, it's the longest one I've written to date, 23 pages! I'm splitting it into two parts again. Man, these chapters just keep getting longer and longer...

**Family Relations**

Exodus stared in disbelief as the Totema of Nu Mous picked up the young girl and laid her down besides a tree. She looked no different from the way he remembered her; blue skin, human face, six wings with a pair of sapphire horns adorned on her forehead. Her white dress was sleeveless but a set of cuffs were still worn over her elbows. A pair of miniature wings sprouted out from the sides of a golden battle helmet nestled on her head. The only difference was in place of the laser cannon, she stood on a pair of slender blue legs and high-heels with a lace garter wrapped around her right thigh. "What are _you_ doing here?" Exodus snarled at the other totema.

Ultima paid no attention to the armored tree's word, laying the girl down on a thick, sturdy branch before turning back to Exodus. "Dear brother, what would Mother Grim say if she could see you now." She said, shaking her head in disappointment. "Attacking a poor, defenseless young girl. And with a broken ankle too! I never thought one could sink that low."

"She crushed an Exodus fruit." The Totema of Vieras growled in retaliation. "I have the right to defend my own existence as well as the thread that binds this world."

"All of which could have been accomplished without bloodshed." Ultima added with a light smile. "Admit it, you were just trying to redeem yourself because you were too weak to fight back when Marche came to smash your crystal the first time around."

Exodus growled and turned away, though Ultima could tell he knew she was right. "Why are you here, anyways?" The Life Tree repeated. "The war is over and our mediums have relinquished their control over us. We are free to return to our elemental homes yet here you are, playing guardian angel for some low-life _human_."

"She is not a low-life human!" The angel shouted, "She is my master!"

Exodus laughed coldly. "So you went and promised yourself to another mortal? My god, Ultima. And you dare say I can't sink much lower while you've become a slave to civilization!"

"I did not promise myself to anyone!" Ultima responded. "She is my charge, the one born in my protection!"

The Life Tree looked at her in confusion for a second before realization of the truth spread throughout his face. "You mean to tell me that this..._girl_ is...that she's your...?" He couldn't bring himself to finish the sentence but decided to back away a few feet just to be safe.

Ultima looked down at Saria and sighed. "She is." She answered solemnly. "Before my mistress passed on, she had one final request. I must obey my master's orders even though her power over me died with her body." Ultima suddenly glared up at her brother Exodus, "And if anyone dares to harm her, I will make them wish they never tried."

The life tree grimaced. "Is that supposed to be a threat?"

"Consider it a promise. Come between me and my charge again and I will not hesitate to flatten you."

The angel's words made Exodus clench his jaw. Crossing his hand behind his back, he curled it into a fist and called for the streams of aura to wrap around it. "Flatten this!" He barked, slamming his fist on the ground.

"Again with the temper..." Ultima sighed as the earth beneath her feet began to rumble. She jumped up into the air, using her wings to propel her to the left seconds before a sharpened spire of clay shot up on her right. "I mean, come one! You are an earth spirit. I would expect one who spends so much time outdoors to have a more peaceful attitude." She said, touching down on top of the spire.

"Shut up!" Exodus screamed, sending a wave of earth at the other totema. Ultima retaliated by punching the air, sending a spiral of wind in the opposite direction. It tore right through the wave, spraying Exodus with chunks of dirt and rock.

"Is that all you got?" The angel chanted with a smirk. "You are going to have to try much harder if you actually _intend_ to harm me."

The Life Tree uttered a seething roar as he sent streams of purple aura along the floor, twisting them into a circle of runes around Ultima. "Breath of God!" He called, clapping his hands together. The area around the female totema ignited with purple flames, completely burning away in the split second the fire was present. Ultima was nowhere to be seen. "Hmph...too easy." He breathed, lowering his hands.

Just then, a ball of darklight nailed him in the back of the head. His jaw jarring in agony, he turned towards the direction of the blast and found Ultima hovering above him in the sky. "Nice try, little brother, but I can see you still have trouble drawing the divine circle. I'm surprised that mess you call penmanship actually summoned up a flame. But a small one for that matter." Angrily, the life tree threw back his hand. A bud of a flower bloomed in his palm, the pedals shooting straight out so it resembled a throwing star. Gripping it tightly, he hurled it upwards at the fallen angel. "Then again, you always were the weakest." The angel continued, sending a gust of wind against the projectile with an unused wing. By the time it reached her, it had lost so much speed it took Ultima all but a flick of the wrist to deflect it. "You could not even rise up to defend yourself even when the fate of Ivalice was on the line."

That had done it; the angel's words had finally hit the right notes and shattered his ego, unbridled fury billowed forth from the darkness behind it. A savage roar resounded from Exodus's throat as he slammed his hands against the earth, elevating the earth where he stood. A pillar rose from beneath his feet, propelling the earthbound tree into the air. He brought his fist to eye level, ready to silence the angel once and for all when he got close enough. The second ball of darklight slamming into the base of his column made sure he didn't. Exodus felt himself sinking as the earth crumbled beneath him, regaining his senses just in time to bail off seconds before it completely collapsed. He pulled himself back up and slammed his hands to the ground once more, causing another pillar to rise beneath him along with five others on his side. Ultima sent another darklight sphere at him, but he quickly jumped onto the pillar to his right and continued to rise. He did this 3 more times, jumping to the next pillar to avoid the angel's attacks. One last sphere wheezed by him, aiming for the base of the fifth pillar but before it could even come in contact with it, Exodus was already in range of the Nu Mou Totema. She tried to back away but he leapt forward, bringing his fist to her face.

Ultima crossed her arms in front of her, catching Exodus's punch with her wrists. She felt momentum begin to push her away but before it could take hold, Exodus's left hand shot forward and grabbed her wing. He twisted himself around, forcing himself on top of the angel as he turned her towards the ground. His hands closed around the feathered wings, making sure they wouldn't stop them as they began to fall back down to the earth. Below, pointed spires rose up from the earth, each one of them prepared to impale the fallen angel when she landed.

"You're finished!" The armored tree spat in her face. He braced himself for a desperate, tearful plea from his defeated sister but it never came. In fact, she was smirking.

"Here, let me show you how it's done." She said, folding her hands against her chest. Exodus looked over her shoulder at the needle-covered earth as a ring of red aura formed around it. A series of runes formed around it as a second ring encircled the letters. A six-pint star was drawn in the middle and one final character was placed in the center. "Breath of God!" She called out. The symbol in the center ignited, shooting a pillar of red light up at the descending totemas, piercing right through Ultima's back and into Exodus's chest. The blast burst out on every side, tearing through the spires and leveling the earth. The outer ring of the circle was the only thing that kept the blast from spreading to the teens.

The blast lasted for a full 10 seconds before it dissipated into the air, though the circle remained visible. Exodus hit the ground first, landing in the center of the ring while Ultima touched down right outside of it. "So, you had enough yet?"

The life tree responded to her words with a roar and sprung back onto his feet. He charged, arms outstretched, at the fallen angel, who gave a small sigh as she snapped her fingers. The symbol in the center lit up once more as the circle issued another blast. Exodus howled in pain as the flames embalmed him, searing off the the top layers of skin. He continued to run, but, for he was blinded by the light, he ended up several feet from his intended target. He emerged from the wall of flames, swiping angrily at the air in front of him. A heavy kick to the shins caused his legs to buckle, sending him sprawling backwards towards the flames. Luckily for him, by the time his head the ground, the blast had already disappeared. But as he tried to get up, a blue high-heel pressed against his stomach. "I will ask you again." Growled a female voice. "Have you had enough yet?" Something told the Earth spirit that her fingers were positioned to snap again. With a pain-filled wheeze, he nodded. The heel lifted itself from his chest and he scrambled to get up. "Now disappear for a while. And don't come back until these children are found."

Exodus hissed under his breath. "You will pay dearly for this, Ultima." He muttered as he took one step back and vanished in a swirl of smoke.

The guardian angel smiled before turning back towards the tree she left Saria in. "I'll be looking forward to it, dear brother." She approached her master, withdrawing a single finger and pressed it lightly against the girl's neck. The timid thump of a pulse pushed back against it but the girl remained still. With a sigh of relief, Ultima lifted the girl off the tree and laid her back down on the ground. "Esuna." She whispered, waving her hand over Saria's broken ankle. A ray of white light flowed from her hands and embalmed her entire foot. The girl inhaled sharply as the broken bones moved back into place and rejoined. Ultima looked up to find a pair of gray eyes staring straight at her, though they only remained open for a second. Before she she fell back into unconsciousness, the angel offered her a motherly smile, the kind that told you that you were safe and everything was right with the world. She checked the girl's heartbeat once more before pulling herself up and turning to the lifeless bodies of the other clan members. "Life." She whispered, raising her hands above her hands. A sphere of holy magic descended over them, bursting into a cloud of diamond-dust as it touched down on the ground. The white light washed over the teens' bodies while the dust surrounded their mortal injuries. It squeezed itself into their cuts and wounds, flowed through their bloodstream and right into their chest. Their hearts started up again and pumped the magic throughout their entire body. When the light finally cleared, their cuts and bruises had completely disappeared and, leaving only a shroud of smoke as evidence that it was ever there, so had the angel.

---

"Hey, kid! Are you alright? Say something!"

As his brain suddenly clicked on, Vik felt a large hand shaking his shoulder. He opened his eyes to see who it was but found only upturned grass. _"Wait a minute, grass can't talk..."_ The hand shook his shoulder once more, which relayed to him that whoever was shaking him was standing in front of him. Groaning, he lifted up his head and searched again, this time ending up face to face with the truck driver and Alise, the farmer. "Something." He mumbled sleepily, struggling to pull out his stiffened arms. As he pushed himself up, about half a foot of soil fell off his legs. "What the heck happened here?" He asked after taking a closer look at his surroundings, finding himself at the bottom of a 3-foot hole.

"Well, there's no way we would know since we were going to ask you the same question." Alise responded, "We just found you lot here, beaten and unconscious. One of the girls said you were buried here so we dug you out."

"Buried...?" Everything suddenly came rushing back to him; the armored tree, the blue tulips, and finally, the tidal wave of earth. "Saria!" He suddenly snapped, grabbing the unexpecting farmer around the shoulders and shaking her. "Where is she? Is she alright? Is that armored tree still out there?"

"Calm down, boy!" Alise exclaimed, pushing Vik away from her forcefully. "She's up there with the rest of your clan. She's still trying to shake off the shock from whatever the heck happened but other than that, she's fine. And what do you mean by ar-"

Vik didn't wait for her to finish. By the time she uttered the last few words, Vik had already scaled the wall of the crater and was climbing over the edge. He twisted himself around, scanning the entire area until he finally spotted them sitting on a fallen trunk about 10 yards away. "Hey! Guys! Over here!" He shouted, a huge smile spreading across his face as he started sprinting towards them.

"Vik, kupo?" The clanners looked up and saw their leader dashing towards them. Similar expressions of relief crossed their faces only to be replaced a second later by overwhelming rejoice. "He's alive! Vik's alive!" They sprang up from their seats and ran towards him, practically knocking him over as they embraced him, though it seemed to Vik that they were just piling on top of him.

"Okay okay, that's enough!" He shouted, trying to shake Kili off his leg. "I might not be dead now but I will be in 10 seconds if you keep this up!" As he attempted to emancipate himself from his over-excited friends, his subconscious did a quick head count and found that they were one person short. At first, he thought it was Elena, seeing that she pretty much cared for no one other than herself. He found her a second later, clinging to his left arm. _"Wait, if she's here, then who's.."_ Mosely had Vik in a head lock and Yolando was standing on the sidelines, trying to pull him off. When the bangaa finally succeeded in freeing Vik from the Soldier's grasp, Vik looked back up at the fallen trunk and found that Saria was still sitting there. _"Of course. She has a broken ankle."_ His brain recalled, _"It's not like she has a choice. She could barely stand up; how can you expect her to run over to you?"_ He couldn't see her expression from where he stood but he was almost positive she wasn't overjoyed, unlike the other clan members.

"Calm down already!" Yolando hissed, helping Vik liberate himself from Elena's grasp. "The guy hasss just been dug out from 4 feet of dirt. Let him sssit down and give him sssome room to breath!"

"_Well, at least one of us still has common sense."_ Vik thought as while clan practically pushed him towards the trunk. As he took a seat, he stole a look at Saria and saw she had on the exact same ashamed face she was wearing before. _"What's up with her?"_ He thought before turning back to his friends, who were all huddled together around him. "Um...thanks for your consideration and all," He said awkwardly, "But I'm fine. Really."

"Are you sure?" Mosely inquired, "No broken bones? Head Trauma? Internal bleeding?"

"No, I'm pretty sure I don't have any of those. Why do you ask?"

"Well, they're all common causesss of mistaken-"

"Saria said you were dead, kupo." Kili interrupted, cutting Yolando's medical lesson short.

Saria shot Vik with a quick glance just in time to catch Vik's reaction. "She did what?" He looked at the girl with disbelief but she had already gone back to staring at her shoes.

"'Vik's dead'; they were the first words out of her mouth when she woke up." Elena explained. "We were only digging you up so the police could perform an autopsy before giving you a proper burial."

"The police?" Vik looked over Kili's head at the woods behind him and found it crawling with judges. They weren't wearing armor or helmets but the golden badge sewn right under their uniform's right shoulder signified their martial rank. All of the officers there were Humans or Moogles, though there was a Nu Mou and Viera working with the forensics. Their uniforms consisted of a green shirt, camos, and a green beret. A yellow sash held the shoulder-plate in place on their left, ending in a leather holster on their right. Moogle officers carried firearms while Human officers carried longswords.

"One of Alise's neighbors called the cops when he heard the roar." Kili said, "They thought it was a bomb going off."

"Excuse me." Said a voice behind them. Vik turned around and saw an officer walking up behind them. "Sorry to bother you like this but we have a few things to clear up. Would you mind coming with me to answer a few questions?"

"Of course we won't mind. Just leave him out of this." Mosely said, pointing at Vik. "We just dug him out from underground and he's still a bit shaken up. He won't be able to tell you much."

"Very well." The judge responded as he led the four of them to his car. But before following them, Kili motioned for Vik to lean down.

"We've been practicing an alibi." The moogle whispered into Vik's ear. "We are not going to tell them the real story. There's no way they would believe it."

As soon as Kili had ran off to join the others, Vik turned his attention back to Saria. "You could have been a little more subtle when you announced my death." He joked, punctuating it with a small laugh. A reaction was nonexistent in Saria as she continued to look off into space. Slightly annoyed, Vik moved across from her and waved at her face. "Hey," he said, poking the girl in the arm when she failed to notice him. "What's eating you?"

Saria immediately jumped up and scanned her spot on the log. After realizing there was nothing to be found, she gave Vik a confused look. "Did you see where it went?" She asked in a trembling voice.

It took Vik a few seconds to register what had happened and then a few more to subdue his laughter. "I didn't mean it literally." He said, snickering mildly. "It's a term that's used to ask what's on your mind."

Saria collapsed in relief across from him, laughing along. "Don't scare me like that!" She exclaimed as she gave Vik a swift kick to the shins.

Vik whispered a silent 'ow' as he tried to conceal his pain, though he wasn't doing a very good job since the pain is the only thing one can pay attention to when they get kicked in the leg. He needed something else to focus on and that's exactly what he got when he noticed Saria had just kicked him with her left foot. "What happened to your ankle?"

"I don't know." Saria replied, giving her foot a little shake. "It was all healed up when I woke up. They must have done it while I was sleeping."

"I guess that's possible." Vik returned. He was just about to go back to thinking about his throbbing pain when another question crossed his mind. "But if there was nothing wrong with your ankle, how come you didn't join in with the others when they tackled me?"

Saria's cheerful expression suddenly disappeared and her eyes fell back to the floor. "I didn't think you wanted to see me." She mumbled, turning her face away.

"What are you talking about? I was worried sick about you!" Vik responded, "I didn't think that wave of earth was going to hurt that much. I passed out before I could see if you were okay."

"You're not mad?"

"Why would I be?"

"You almost died because of me." She said, lowering her voice even though there was no possible way for her to get any quieter without dropping out completely. "All of you almost died just because I was too weak to protect myself."

"All? You mean the rest of the clan? What happened to them?"

"They tried to take down that monster by themselves. They told me they were trying to avenge us." Saria replied, "I put your lives at risk, even though it was indirectly and unintentional. It would have been better if you've never met me at all."

Vik's expression suddenly grew stern. Acting on instinct, he grabbed Saria around the shoulders and spun her around so they were face to face. "Don't ever say that." He growled. "We wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you."

The girl almost laughed as she pushed Vik's hands away. "And where exactly are we?" She returned with equal pensiveness, moving her head so it was a little over an inch from the boy's face. "Look around, Vik. What do you see? Chaos, discord; all of which was brought here by yours truly. I dragged you away from your normal lives and by doing that, I almost had you killed."

Vik felt a bit uneasy, since it was the first time he had ever seen Saria so close to him, much less with a serious face. But he stared right back at her with hard eyes, checking his reflection in the large gray orbs to make sure he wasn't showing any sign of weakness. "But imagine how it would be without you. We're not entirely sure what those guys in robes would have done to you but chances are their end result would have been far worse than what we just faced. And don't forget, you are a member of this team. You were one of the main reasons we decided to stay together in the first place."

"Oh yeah, I am a member. If dead weight counts as one at least." Saria mumbled, pulling herself away.

This only made Vik smile. "You're not dead weight. Sooner or later, me or one of the others would get in trouble and it'll be up to you to defend us." He pronounced, "And when that day comes, we'll have no regrets of ever meeting you."

Saria gave a small laugh as she returned Vik's smile. No matter what kind of pain, whether emotional or physical, Vik always had a cure for it. It was probably something he picked up from his parents. Saria wasn't sure if Vik had this effect on everyone but something told her the treatment she was receiving had a reason behind it. "Vik," She spoke up, feeling it was the right moment to change the subject after a period of silence followed their argument. "Why do you care so much about me?"

The Omnivari sneered. "I have no idea what you mean. What makes you think I treat you any different from others?"

"I don't know..." Saria paused for a moment to prepared a mental list, which to her surprised turned out to be very short. "You're always there for me when I'm down and you've never done anything to hurt me."

"I'm like that to everyone, not just you." Vik answered, shrugging his shoulders. "I'll offer advice to anyone in need that would listen. If I have to say something negative, I word it in such a way that the person gets confused."

"So you don't care about me?"

Vik hung his head in frustration. "I never said that!" He reacted with a edgy tone. "I'm just saying that I treat people as equals, no matter how much or how little they mean to me so it would be useless for one to determine my standing from my actions."

"Then why were you willing die for me?"

The question surprised Vik, since he wasn't sure why he did it. He knew he would have done the same had it been someone else so that ruled out any personal reasons. He didn't want to die, fear of the unknown has kept people as far away from the afterlife as possible. "I guess if someone had to die, better it be me then them." Saria gave him a shocked look but he motioned for her to calm down. "I've been through life and I think I've had enough. I've seen, done, and learned more than I wanted and I've had my fill of good and bad experiences." He continued after pausing for a second to absorb his own words. "Believe me, I'm in no hurry to go anywhere. I just feel that, when compared to everyone else's lives, mine is pretty insignificant. This is common among people; it's called self sacrifice. In their eyes, the other person just has so much more to live for." He looked up and stared straight at Saria. "This is especially the case with you. You have barely started your journey. If you were to die now, you'll die with so many questions unanswered. You won't die like that, I'll make sure of it."

Saria wasn't sure what to say. Here was perfectly content human being willing to give up his own life so someone else could keep their own. It would be the last gift he would ever give and he would get nothing in return but he didn't seem to care. There was no proper way to thank someone who was ready to die for you but she felt she had to say _something_. "Well, let's hope it never comes down to that." She remarked with a weak smile. "But still; thank you. It means a lot to know you'll always be there for the rest of us."

"Weren't you listening?" The Omnivari said with an elfish smile, "I'm going to be the first to die." Saria wasn't sure whether or not to laugh, since she couldn't tell if he was joking or not. She was, however, a little freaked out by his expression so she scooted aside a few seats. Luckily for her, the rest of the team showed up before Vik could try anything funny.

"Mission accomplished! We have officially convinced the police that it was a bomb, kupo!" Kili announced, keeping his voice down in case they were being overheard. "I suggest we get out of here before the police come up with any more questions. Besides, the Captain is probably going to start wondering where we are."

"Right. We should head back." Vik responded, swinging himself back onto his feet. "I think I've had enough action for one day." The members of Clan Senbunsu moaned in agreement as they headed back down the road. A silent race back to the car began, though they were all too tired to run. They were all so caught up in being the the first to occupy the front seat that they failed to notice Saria was lagging behind.

---

She wasn't entirely sure how to explain why she stopped but it had something to do with the wind. It curled around her when she stood up and it started to follow her as she began walking. She continued to walk until she was well out of earshot from the crime scene and her clan before turning to see what was going on. Although there was no one to be found, she had a feeling someone was watching her. It was the same feeling she got while she was bringing back the water. "Who's there?" She called out.

"_I am..._" The words made Saria jump back, mainly because she wasn't expecting anyone to answer. The second reason was the fact that the voice didn't make an echo when it spoke, like the words were only sounding in her mind.

"Who...where are you?" She called back.

"_I am all around you." _The voice returned, _"You cannot see me in your current state but if you close your eyes, I will reveal myself."_ It seemed like an harmless request but it sounded a bit odd. How are you supposed to see something if your eyes are closed? She was well aware that it could all just be a trick; that the owner of the voice was just waiting for her to let her guard down before making his move. Waiting until someone closes their eyes was the perfect way to catch them off guard. _"Trust me..."_ The voice came again.

"_Well...it wouldn't hurt to try."_ She thought to herself. After all, there was a whole crowd of police officers just down the road and her friends weren't too far ahead. But just to be safe, she laid one hand on her rapier in case whoever it was attacked her. Glancing around quickly to make sure no one was around, she took a deep breath and closed her eyes. As a curtain of darkness immediately fell over the world around her, a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her neck and pulled her upwards. Swift gales of wind swirled around her, forcing a scream from her lungs. The air pressure kept her from pulling away from the person's embrace but as soon as the winds died down, her legs pushed forward and she practically ran out of the person's arms. With her eyes still closed, she started sprinting in whatever direction she was facing at the moment but stopped about a minute later for she ran out of breath.

The first thing she noticed when she opened her eyes was the ground, though it looked a little different somehow. That was when she realized she was standing several feet above it. "What the..." She tapped her foot against the 'floor' and felt nothing underneath her shoes but somehow, she was standing on it. As Saria turned to look the other way, something brushed against her arm. She glanced down at her side and found a feather floating slowly gliding down to the floor. She traced its path back up to her shoulders and found a small pair of white-feathered wings on her back. Her reaction was no different from anyone who just realized something was growing out of their back: she freaked out. It took her a while to work up the nerve to inspect them again but when she did, she found that they weren't connected to her at all. They were just hovering over her shoulder blades, beating every now and then against a non-existent wind.

"Hello, Saria."Said the voice. Hesitantly, Saria turned around and found herself staring up at a another woman with angel wings, though they were a bit different from her own. Her six wings were more organic and sprouted from her back in a similar fashion of a butterfly's. The wings, however, were not the only thing that was weird about this women. She was also 10-feet tall and seemed to be made out of a shiny, blue metal. Without taking her eyes off of the totema, Saria started to back away. "Do not be afraid, my child." The metallic woman said, smiling warmly. "I'm not here to harm you."

Saria nodded at the colossus but decided to keep her distance. "Where are we?"

"In your dreams, your nightmares, your body, your mind..." The Angel responded, "In your soul."

"My soul..." Saria took a look around. There was nothing interesting around her, only silence and darkness. A single candle hovering in midair created a circle of light on the 'floor' between them. She had no idea what a soul was but , as far as she had seen, it didn't look like much. "What is a soul?"

"A soul is the essence of your being." The angel began. "It connects itself to the objects you touch and to the hearts of the people you meet. It provides life to your body and emotions to your heart. And most importantly, it is the memory of you left behind long after your life comes to an end."

"And these wings?"

"Well, they are not exactly wings. They are a type of aura that reflects the nature of your heart. The color of your feathers reflect your affinity while the amount of feathers you have depends on your actions. Whenever you commit a sin, your feathers will lose a bit of their color and begin falling off. They usually remain hidden but if you can see them, deciding who you could or could not trust would be an easy feat."

Saria could only blink in confusion. Somehow, beyond all possible scientific reason, she was _inside herself _talking to a a ten-foot tall iron maiden while some kind of supernatural scoreboard was sticking out of her back. But there was plenty of time to sort that out later. She had to focus on something else right now. "You look familiar." She pronounced. "I think I've seen you before...yes, it was at the airport when I woke up! You were there getting repaired!"

"Repaired?" The angel responded, half-shocked. "The winds have carried rumors to me saying that my body was being held in an airport somewhere but I didn't actually think it was true. Tell me, how bad is it?"

"Well, there were a few cracks here and there and you were missing an ar..." Saria's voice trailed off when her mind finally got to process the angel's words. "Did you just say your body?"

"I did." The angel returned grimly, "I have been searching for my body ever since the rebellion ended. But if it is as damaged as you said it is, I might as well just wait until the humans figure out a way to repair me before jumping back into it." She looked up at the girl and found she was inching away from her yet again. "Oh, don't worry. I'm not going to go on a rampage like Exodus. I just want to rest in peace and I just can't do that unless I'm sleeping in my own skin."

"Oh. I understand now...so how is it that you know my name," Saria asked, "Yet I don't know yours?"

The angel frowned. "You do not remember me?" Saria sadly shook her head. "Oh well, we might as well start from the beginning. My name is Ultima." The totema reached out her hand to shake but Saria immediately jumped back, knowing the gargantuan angel could have very easily crushed her to death. "Oh, excuse me." The Angel responded with a laugh before waving her hand in the air. Her body disappeared in a cloud of smoke and in place of where she stood was a blond girl wearing the exact same dress and high-heels. "This works much better!" She exclaimed, walking up to Saria and putting her hand out. The girl looked at it doubtfully for a few seconds but eventually took it in her own and gave it a few weak shakes.

"Are you human?"

"Heavens, no! I'm a totema!" The high-heeled girl responded with a giggle. "This is just a disguise I use if I ever want to walk around unnoticed which, as you might have predicted, is pretty hard to achieve when you're ten feet tall. Unfortunately, it takes a toll on my personality and I find it to be annoying sometimes. I prefer a nice, quiet Nu Mou form but at least when I'm like this, we can see eye-to-eye."

"Of course." Said Saria, pulling away from the handshake. "Who is Exodus?"

Ultima let out a small laugh. "He was the one attacking you, silly." She answered, "He and I have quite a history together. In fact, he's my brother, though I'm not exactly proud of it. He can be a real pain sometimes, especially when you make him angry. And picking one of his fruits will do just that."

"But I didn't pick any fruits. Just-"

"A flower." Ultima finished with a smile. "Though it didn't look like much, that flower was a seed pod for one of his Exodus Fruits. He's waited over 200 years for those flowers to start budding so the fruit could start growing. But then you come along and start plucking up his life's work. How do you expect he would react to this!"

Saria hung her head as she forced herself into an awkward bow. "Please forgive me." She pleaded, "I thought it was a tulip; like the kind in Mrs. Fellcrest's window."

"Don't apologize." Ultima said, blushing as she grabbed Saria around the arms and pulled her back up. "I know it was impossible for you to know exactly what it was and I think Exodus knew this too. The only difference is, he doesn't care. He only saw you as a threat and that's why he attacked you and your friends."

"So...you were the one who saved me?"

"And healed you up!" The angel added, "Which reminds me, your ankle should be safe for walking but try not to run any marathons for a week or to. And tell your bangaa friend he might experience some minor headaches throughout the day."

Saria gave her a quick nod but pressed on with the interrogation. "But _why_ did you save me? You might not be that fond of him but Exodus was still your brother. I was threatening the existence of one of your kind yet you stopped him from destroying me."

"The crystal of the Vieras has been shattered centuries ago and its totema has been reduced to a mere spirit. It takes an especially large amount of energy to maintain a solid form but we have the ability to live through the land, like how I became the wind earlier. Exodus was lucky enough to have the element that is the most versatile so he can stay in solid form as long as he wants." Ultima explained, pausing every now and then so the young girl could catch up, "I would hardly call destroying a single Exodus Fruit 'threatening his existence'. If anything, he was threatening mine!"

"He was? How?"

"I live through _you. _You are my master."

Saria's jaw dropped open. "I'm your what?"

"My master." The totema repeated, issuing a large bow. "I live to protect you and fulfill your every wish."

Saria cheeks flushed a deep red as she motioned violently for the angel to stand back up. "There must be some kind of mistake. I'm not royalty, I haven't done anything special, there's nothing about me that's even _worth_ protecting. Don't waste your efforts on me. Why don't you go see if you can work for the queen or something."

"There is no mistake." The angel replied with a earnest frown, "I have been watching over you since the day you awoke. You are the one I was assigned to protect. Transposition is impossible but even if it wasn't, I would still stand by you. I have sworn an unbreakable oath and my dismissal is the one order I cannot accept."

Saria felt a low growl buzz against her throat as she turned around and started pacing. Her insides were churning with frustration and she had no idea why. Afterall, who wouldn't want their very own spirit that was willing to submit to their every whim. Men have dreamed of having this sort of power for generations and now it was at her disposal. She should have been happy but somehow, it just didn't feel right. "So what you're trying to say is that you are bound to carry out every order I give you unless that order is for you to leave?"

"That is correct."

"Then I would like to make my first wish." The girl said, biting down on her lower lip. "I want you...to leave me alone."

The blond girl immediately shook her head. "I've told you already! That's the one command I cannot obey!"

"No, you said the only thing you couldn't do was leave." Saria retaliated, "I am not sending you away. I just telling you to back off. I might call on you every now and then to ask for advice but other than that, stay out of my life."

"But..." The angel tried to find some fault in the girl's reasoning but came up empty. It was a completely justified request and she had no other choice but to obey it. "Why?" was the only word the totema could utter.

"I'm not so sure myself." Saria said, smiling affectionately, "A week ago, I would have been fine with being your master. I always wanted the power to defend myself and the ones I love and I would have been able to accomplish just that through you. But I learned something today..." Saria paused for a second to force the memory of the scene underground from her mind. She shifted through the gruesome images until she found what she was looking for: the promise she had made to herself. "True power cannot be acquired or bought; it must be earned. Using you to fight my battles would be no better than hiding behind someone for protection. I promised myself today I will stop clinging to others for support and that includes you. I have to learn to stand on my own and that's not something I can accomplish with you constantly watching my back."

"I see..."

"So here's what I want you to do." The ex-master continued, "I want you to turn your back to me and stay out of my way No matter how much danger I'm in, even if my life is on the line, you will not intervene. Understand?" Against her better judgment, the angel nodded. "Now, I think it's time for to return me to the living world. I've said all that I needed to say and my friends are waiting for me. So goodbye."

"Goodbye m...Saria." Ultima corrected herself, giggling as she took Saria by the hands. "Should you ever need my help, I will be waiting here in your soul. Call out to me an I will answer. Until then, farewell." And with that, her image dissolved and the curtain of darkness lifted. Saria opened her eyes and found herself standing in the exact same spot she started from with both feet planted firmly on the ground. Still shivering from the otherworldly experience, she began to walk back towards the road, wondering if it was all just an illusion. Had she looked back, she would have seen a blond haired girl in high-heels sitting on top of a tree.

"You're not the same Samantha I used to know..." Ultima sighed as the girl's figure disappeared through the wall of trees. "You've changed a lot but it's too soon to say if it is for better or for worse." She gave a small laugh as she started to fade away. "But I can see you managed to maintain your stubborn attitude. Maybe Lady Samantha hasn't left us for good after all..."

---

**A/N:** I'd like to take this time to clear up a few things. First of all, Vik is NOT suicidal. He just thinks that if anyone should die, it would be better if it was him. Secondly, "Breath of God" has been used by pretty much every totema you fought in the game and if given the chance, Ultima and Exodus would have used them too! And I apologize for making a ditzy version of Ultima, I'm watching too much anime. As I said before, that personality is only due to her form and she isn't that fond of it herself. Anyways, I'm not quite done with the second half of this chapter so that'll be coming by some time later. Hold on until then!


	19. Last Stand

**A/N:** Woohoo! 1000 hits! I'm not sure if that's good or bad considering I've had 17 chapters already but it's definitely a milestone. Thank you to all my readers! You guys rock! And also, by the time I upload this, I'll have the largest fic in this section. Take that, "Return to the Homeland, sort of"! Then again, I have yet to catch up with Mako-Streak's 104 chapters and I don't really plan to. My chapters are just too long and she'll probably have another hundred by the time I hit fifty.

**Last Stand**

"So let me get this straight," Nicholas said, kneading his temples, "Contrary to what the police report, which says you hit a fault line while practicing magic, you're telling me that you were attacked by a living tree?"

"Kupo! The first story seems more believable, doesn't it?" Kili promptly chimed out. Four of his teammates glared him down as Mosely continued with the explanation.

"We weren't sure if the police would believe us either so we gave them a false story. What _really_ happened by that road is much worse."

"And the story you just told me was what _really_ happened?" The members of Clan Senbunsu nodded glumly. They were prepared to show him their bruises in case the captain still didn't believe them but there were no further questions. "I see..." The captain said, folding his hands and resting his forehead on his knuckles. "Well, I only have one thing to say to you: good job."

The room suddenly grew silent for the teens could do nothing but blink with astonishment. "Kupo? What did you just say?"

"I said good job." Nicholas repeated, shooting them a satisfied smile. "By not telling the police the real story, we don't have to waste any time covering it up. We deal with these kind of things all the time but if the people get even a whiff of the truth, there would be widespread chaos."

"But we have to tell them!" Elena retorted, "That thing's still out there! If we don't warn everybody, they'll make the same mistake we did and end up like Alise's husband!"

"I assure you, we're going to take care of it. A staff of trained specialists are being gathered as we speak to deal with this creature. But we need to know exactly what we're dealing with here. Did this tree give you his name or have any specific markings?"

They opened their mouths to renounce the question but before they could, Saria spoke up. "His name was Exodus." she disclosed, "He is an earth spirit."

The five of them looked at her in disbelief while Nicholas's suddenly perked up with interest. "An earth spirit, you say?" The captain exclaimed, narrowing his eyes.

Saria nodded. "It was all my fault he attacked us. You see, I picked one his flowers thinking it was just a normal, everyday tulip. Seconds later, he barges in screaming something about a thread."

There was something about Captain Acheron's eyes when Saria said the concluding sentence that sent static down the teens' backs. In the corner of his eye was a tiny spark of fear, which was soon overwhelmed by seething desire. "A thread?"

"Yes, sir."

"And his name was Exodus?"

"That is correct." Saria gave him a curious look. "Is there something you're not telling us?"

With a blink, the hunger in the captain's eyes disappeared."What? Oh...of course not! I'm just trying to clear a few things up. That's all." He gave a small laugh which, when it came down to reassuring gestures, was the furthest away from sincerity. "So is there anything else you think I might want to know?" Saria quickly shook her head. "Very well. You are dismissed."

The teens got up without a word and started towards the door but stopped when they heard Saria speak up. "Actually, there is one more thing I want to tell you." She said with a hardened expression. "I want to move into Terminal 15 permanently."

Vik's jaw hit the floor and was joined shortly by everyone else's. "You want to do WHAT!"

Captain Nicholas was also surprised, though to a much lesser extent than the support clan. "Um...this is highly unusual. No one has ever _wanted_ to live in the barracks before, it's usually forced onto them."

"So you won't mind one more then." She said, smiling faintly.

"That's not what I'm worried about." Nicholas replied with a low growl of frustration, "We're being monitored closer than ever by the government ever since the outbreak. If they find you here, there's no telling what they might do to you. They could kill you on the spot or imprison you in a lab. I'm sorry but there's-"

"Please, sir." Saria cut him off, clapping her hands together in prayer, "I won't ask for anything else after this. You won't even notice I'm here."

"Well...I guess it would be a right. Unfortunately, we don't have any permanent lodgings set up in the Terminal, just some bunk beds with blankets for late workers, so you wouldn't be able to live _here_ anyways. However, there's an apartment complex just two blocks from here. I think I can pull a few strings and set you up with a-"

"You can't be serious!" Vik interrupted the second he rehinged his jaw. "You can't let her live by herself!"

Saria shot him a nasty glare but before she could say anything, Captain Nicholas backed her up. "I think Saria is ready for this." He replied with a proud smile. "The reason I stuck her with you when we first met was because I thought she lacked the motor skills needed to function in modern life. She has shown great signs of improvement since then and I think it's time she moved on."

"But what about protection?" Vik protested, "Those guys in cloaks are still are still out there and when they come for her, we'll be too far away to stop it!"

"They don't need her anymore."

Vik paused. "They don't? How can you be so sure?"

The captain opened his mouth to explain but closed it only a moment later and shook his head. "It's just a hunch." He said somberly before turning back to Saria. "Stop by at the end of the day. I'll have your contract and keys drawn up by then."

"Would you mind if I come a little later?" The girl asked apathetically, "I want to go ho...back to Vik's house to get some of my stuff. I want to move in there tonight."

"Of course not. I'll only be here until midnight so try not to take so long."

"I won't. I don't really have that many things to begin with anyways." She said as she walked out the door, ignoring the looks of disbelief on her friends' faces as she strode past them. One by one, the other members left the room while Vik continued to stand in place, still recovering from the shock.

"You can leave now." Nicholas said about a minute later when he looked up from his desk and found that he was still there. "And here, take this with you." From beneath his desk, he picked up a thick- yellow envelope and tossed it at Vik. The sight of an object thrown at him sent a wave of adrenaline to his brain, waking him from his trance. Even so, he didn't react fast enough and ended up catching the package with his stomach. It weighed about 25 pounds and knocked a sizable amount of air from Vik's lungs upon collision. "They're just yearly reports, nothing that would interest you. Just take them to my secretary so they could be filed."

"Yes, sir." Vik breathed as he strained to get the package out the door.

The trip down the hall took nearly an eternity and by the time he got to the front office, the secretary had just gone to lunch. Sighing, he dumped the papers on the first desk he passed by and headed back onto the bridge. He made sure he was a good distance away from the Captain's office before venting his anger. "What the heck is wrong with her?!" He shouted out in frustration, throwing a kick at the nearest wall. "Things were finally going smoothly! What's with the sudden change? Why does she suddenly want to be independent?"

"Maybe there isn't anything wrong with her." A voice on his right answered, "Maybe the captains right; she just outgrew you." Vik turned to face his speaker and found Elena standing just a couple feet away, leaning against the railing. _"I should have known it was her."_ He thought fractiously, though he did his best to keep these emotions from effecting his facial expressions. _ "Even when she's trying to help, she's still spiteful and excessively sarcastic." _

"This has nothing to do with me." He protested sharply, "As soon as she moves out, my room can finally go back to normal. I just don't think she's ready to start living on her own yet. She is still young, even more so than you and me."

"Which is exactly why she can't remain with you; why she can't remain with any of us..." Elena responded, "Because we treat her like a child. We let her do whatever she wants, we forgive every one of her mistakes, and worst of all, we prevent her from overcoming any challenge by herself."

"But she could have just told us all to back off! Why does she have to move out?"

"Think of it like this: let's say you found an injured wolf pup which you nursed back to health. During the time spent with it, you'll find yourself growing attached to the animal and feel it's your soul duty to protect it from the dangers of the outside world. However, if you don't immediately return it to the wild, it will grow dependent on your help and never learn to defend itself. In other words, it becomes a common house pet instead of what it's _supposed_ to be. Do you really want that to happen to Saria?"

Vik was a bit shocked by the comparison but the Viera had a point. It was now or never. Sure, it meant exposing her to unknown dangers and threats but it was for her own good. Nobody wanted to grow up as a coward, shying away from every situation. "No, she deserves a normal life and it's high time she learned to make her own choices about it."

Elena gave him a smile. Not a pompous or egotistical one, which were the kind he was used to getting from her. He wasn't sure what it was but it mocked and comforted him at the same time. "Try not to think much of it. You're still going to be a major influence on her life." She said in a tone slightly tinted with jealousy. "You may not be related in blood but you're the closest thing she has to a family member. There's no way she can shut you out completely."

"Does she really think of me like that? I thought our relationship wouldn't go past _friend_ or _roommate_."

"I didn't think it would either and I tried hard not to believe it when she told me but those were her words." Elena replied solemnly before switching back to usual unpleasant tone of voice. "I mean, honestly! How can she even stand being around you? She complains constantly about your living habits and your corrupt view of life all the time. You would think she would be happy to get away from you." The Viera moved closer to Vik so that their foreheads practically touched and frowned. "But she's not. She has yet to openly admit to it but this whole ordeal is hurting her just as much as it's hurting you."

"I don't know what you're talking about." Vik said sharply. "I feel nothing towards this. She could move to Jagd Dorsa for all I care."

Elena sneered. "You shouldn't try to hide anything from a Viera; we're a lot smarter than you humans perceive us to be."

Vik's expression remained unchanged as a staring contest commenced between them. The silent battle lasted over a minute, both sides struggling for mental dominance before Vik finally pulled away with a sigh of defeat. "I'm not totally against her moving out.; I want her to be able to rely on herself just as much as you do. I just think she's rushing things." He admitted, "Looking back, I realized we haven't really spent that much time together. There were a few things I wanted to do with her and a few things I wanted to fix since they didn't really come out as planned. Now that she's gone, all my plans are going to go to waste. I'm not against her moving out; I'm just a little...disappointed."

"It's called _parenting_, Vik." The Viera responded. "All mothers and fathers go through this sooner or later with their kids. Just let her go. Besides, it's not like you'll never see her again. She didn't say anything about leaving the clan."

"I'm not her dad." Vik put bluntly, completely ignoring the rest of Elena's comments. The Viera girl just covered her mouth and giggled.

"I never said you were. I always thought you'd make a better mother." She said as she turned towards the elevators. "Well, I've got to go now. I've got a date with some fliers and a copy machine."

"Wait, there's something else I wanted to ask you." Vik said, moving to cut her off. "Back there at the woods...you were worried about me, weren't you?"

"Duh." She put out abruptly, "Of course I was worried about you. Why else would I run up and glomp you?"

"And you did this out of your own free will?"

Elena rolled her eyes. "Look, if you don't want me to do it again, I w-"

"No! That's not it!" Vik said with a slight blush. "It's just...you were never that fond of me. You always acted like you could care less about my life. What made you change your mind?"

Elena lowered her head in thought for a moment. She wasn't sure what made her react the way she did. Up until now, there were only a handful of people she would do that to; two of them being Mosely and... "I saw what you did for Saria." The Viera answered, "The way you shielded her from that monster; that was really brave."

"Hardly." Vik muttered, "The way I saw it, it was either one of us or both. I just made the obvious choice."

"But still, even when given that situation, most people aren't as willing to give up their lives to protect another. You're something else, Vik; a long way off from completely useless." She ended with a smile.

Vik raised an eyebrow. Up until the last sentence, Elena's statement could have been classified as a compliment. "Um...thank you?"

"You're welcome." She replied before pointing a long, steely finger to Vik's forehead. "However, this changes nothing. You are still next-to-nothing in my eyes and you always will be."

"Good. It's nice to know that our steady relationship hasn't changed." Vik said, smiling. With all words exchanged, the two of them turned in opposite directions and went on their way.

---

"1624 Clayborne Ave. Room 415..." Doctor Olivander read with a slight smirk, "Don't tell me you're moving out of your twelfth story apartment complex to a building that's closer to work!"

The captain spared him a small laugh as he snatched the papers out of the Nu Mou's hands. "Of course not!" He responded, "I'm perfectly contempt with where I am. The person I'm doing this for, however, isn't."

Olivander watched as Nicholas filled in the top row on the form. "Saria..." He read, tilting his head so he could get a better view. "Wait...The Alternative? You're letting her go?"

"Yes." He answered without looking up. "We don't need her anymore."

"Oh? And why do you say that?" Doctor Nicros asked.

"We've found it." The captain answered, his eyes suddenly gleaming hungrily as a thin smile spread across his face. "The Former: Aegis' original power source."

The Nu mou's jaw twitched with interest as his gaze darted from side to side, making sure no one was listening in. "Are you sure?" He asked.

Nicholas nodded. "We have 6 confirmed sightings of Exodus's spirit. The Former is somewhere in the area the clanners were sent to this morning. An exorcism team is being assembled right now and will be ready to be dispatched within an 3 hours. "

"And..." Dr. Nicros lowered his voice to a whisper. "Do _they_ know yet?"

Nicholas gave his friend a dignified look before returning to his work. "Hopefully, they won't figure it out."

---

"You're really going through with this?"

Saria gently tucked in her last T-shirt and forcefully closed the top of her suitcase. "Yup. I think I've overstayed my welcome and sooner or later, your parents are going to start wondering why I'm still here, seeing that the school year has been done for almost a month now." She said as she struggled with the clasps. "Do you mind?" She motioned at the opposite end of the suitcase. Sighing, Vik walked over to the bed and pressed down on the lid, allowing Saria to fasten the clasps properly.

"Well, you could have let my parents know earlier." He mumbled, flopping down next to overnight bag while Saria went around the room, gathering all her possessions into a cardboard box. "They're downstairs right now criticizing themselves for making such a mediocre dinner on your last day with us."

"It's no big deal. Your mom's cooking is wonderful no matter what the occasion." She said as she rolled up the posters over her bed. "Besides, it seems rather silly to celebrate someone's departure. It's almost as if you're happy that they're going."

"Not true. Parents love showing off." Vik said with a sneer, "They live for those few moments in the spotlight where everything has to be perfect. If it's not, it will haunt them for the rest of their lives."

"You do know that _you'll_ eventually have to do these kinds of things."

"Not if I can help it." Vik said, drawing a finger across his neck. He expected the girl to laugh but instead, she frowned.

"Stop it, Vik." She said, taking a seat on the bed across from him. "You heard what I said today, I don't want anyone protecting me anymore. If death comes knocking on my door, I don't want you to answer. Let me accept my fate as it is."

Vik shook his head. "But I _want_ to protect you. I want to protect everyone."

"But if you give your life for one, how will you protect the others?"

"I'll find a way." The Omnivari replied with an elfish smile.

Saria gave him an estranged look but shook it off by convincing herself the boy was lying through his teeth. "Don't you think you're being a little selfish?"

"What do you mean?"

"By giving your own life for someone else's, you are freeing yourself from the pain that comes with losing a friend." Saria explained, "That grief, however, is transferred to the person you saved, who now has to deal with the pain of losing you and the guilt of inciting your death."

"Huh...I never thought about it that way." Vik noted, leaning his back against the bedpost. "I hate it when you're smarter than me."

Saria giggled. "Then you must hate me on a daily basis."

"Yeah, pretty much." He replied, laughing along. "But in order for your theory to be true, you need proof that there is no afterlife. Who's to say you won't regret your actions when you arrive at those Pearly Gates? Even if someone gave their life to save you, you'll still have friends and family to help you get over your sorrow. But who does the person have? How will he know that his death was not in vain. These questions will continue to haunt him, putting him through torture far worse than Hell."

The girl tilted her head to the side. "What are the Pearly Gates?"

"It's where you go when you die. Well, at least that's what people say. No one has lived to tell us about it." He paused to check if Saria was laughing but it seemed she was too engrossed to catch the joke. "If you lead a good life, your wings will carry you up through the Pearly gates and admit you to paradise. But if you've been wicked, the gates slam shut and you shall be thrown into the center of the earth, where you'll spend the rest of your days surrounded by fire and brimstone." He quoted, "You'll cry out for death but it will never come, for your spirit is immortal."

Saria eyes widened when Vik described the part about the wings. She remembered Ultima saying something about how they reflected your life's decisions and that people gained and lost feathers depending on their choices. Nervously eying her shoulder, she remembered how small her pair of wings were. They didn't look as if they could carry her anywhere. "What about children? Surely they're lives will be proven insignificant. Where do you go if you're strong enough to keep from falling but not yet ready to fly?"

Vik gave her a small laugh. "I already told you, Saria. It's too early for you to go. You have plenty of time to repent when you're older. But on many cases, people like you are met with unfortuneate accidents and get knocked into a place called purgatory. Basically, you just sit around and wait. Most people get restless and escape back into the plane of the living but no one ever notices." Vik noticed by this time, Saria was getting a little scared. "You don't have to worry about those kinds of things now." He assured her, "Besides, nobody even knows if it exists. If you ask me, they're just a bunch of fairytales."

"I believe in it..." Saria said quietly. Vik just shook his head.

"Believe what you want." He finalized, "Just know that many people before you have thrown their lives away for this empty promise. They were so caught up with what would happen to them in the afterlife, they completely forgot to live the life they're in now. Whether or not it paid off in the end is unknown to anyone." As he spoke, his eyes glanced over at his wall clock, which displayed the numbers 10:25. "You better get going soon, the last train leaves in half an hour." Saria gave a quick nod before continuing with her packing. Before long, the left side of Vik's room was completely stripped of its belongings. An armful of books being dumped into a paper shopping bag concluded the great pack-up. "Do you need any help carrying that stuff out?" Vik asked when he noticed the girl was having some trouble reaching her suitcase while balancing the box of various items in her arms.

"No thanks. Your dad's giving me a ride to the train station. I'm headed for the airport anyways so it won't raise many questions." She said, finally deciding to tuck the box under her arm before scooping up the rest of her heavy luggage. "Well, I guess I'll be going then. See you at work tomorrow."

"Hold on a second." Vik ran across the room and reached under his bed, removing a small, rectangular parcel wrapped in blue tissue-paper. "Consider it a goodbye present. You might need it to get through the night."

"Let me guess: is it a night-light?"

The Omnivari shrugged. "You'll know when you open it.." He answered with a pat on her head before giving her a light shove towards the door. "Just try and save it until you really need it."

Regardless of how suspicious a person might seem, these kinds of occasions called for gratitude. "Thanks. I'll put it to good use." Saria said before walking into the hallway and out of sight. Vik could only hear the sounds of her footsteps descending the staircase and the cries of his mom reminding Saria to write back to them. _"So..she's finally gone."_ He thought, gazing across to the other side of the room. Smiling, he took off a sock, balled it up, and hurled it at the opposing wall. It ricocheted off the window and landed on top of the empty bed. _"Let the path to recovery begin!"_

---

"_Are you sure you'll be okay alone? I can have someone stand guard outside your room is you're..."_

"_No, it's not a problem. I''ll be fine, really."_

The last words exchanged between her and Captain Acheron echoed in her head as she stepped into the apartment building's elevator, eying the other occupants with a suspicious gaze. _"Let's see here...old man, woman with child, old lady, couple, couple, another old man...yeah, I'm safe."_ She thought as she pressed the big, plastic 4 on the pad. As she pulled away, the woman with the child caught her gaze and shot her a smile.

"You're just moving in?" She asked, motioning at the luggage by the girl's feet. Saria gave a quick nod before turning her eyes back onto the doors. When the light for the forth floor finally lit up, the platform came to a sudden halt and the doors rolled open. About two or three people followed Saria off of the elevator but she was fairly sure they weren't stalking her. She fumbled around nervously in her jacket until she found the deed Captain Nicholas had given her earlier. A small key was taped to the bottom of it with a metal key chain inscribed with the numbers 615. The indicated room was about 4 doors down to her left but the walk between there and the elevator stretch on forever. _"Get a hold of yourself, Saria."_ She thought as she forced her legs to take the first step forward and then several more until she arrived at her doorstep. She hastily shoved the key into the lock and turned the handle, bolting inside the second the gap was wide enough. Taking deep breaths, she leaned back against the door and pressed it shut.

When her heart rate finally returned to normal, she pulled herself up and started looking over her new living quarters. She didn't bother turning on the lights, mostly because she couldn't find the switch. Luckily, the sky had cleared up, allowing moonlight to pour in through the floor-to-ceiling windows leading onto the skywalk. The whole thing was probably a forth of the size of the Fellcrest household, having only one bedroom, bathroom, and living room. It came fully furnished, complete with everything Vik considered life necessities: a fridge, a stove, and a couch. A few things were missing, however. Due to the lack of a bed, the bedroom was rendered pointless. A box of baking soda and a lemon summed up the contents of the refrigerator and throughout the entire apartment, there wasn't a single decoration. Still, it was her new home so she shrugged off the little details and flung her stuff down next to the couch. _"I'll unpack tomorrow."_ She thought as she pulled her pajamas out of her suitcase. One good thing about living alone was you could change anywhere you wanted in your house without worrying about anybody walking in. Leaving her worn clothes in a pile on the floor, she jumped over her luggage and landed face first on the couch. _"I really should have brought a blanket."_ She thought. She reached over the edge of the cushion and was fishing in her suitcase for a coat or some other heavy type of heavy clothing when her hand closed around a small box. Curiously, she pulled it out and held it up to the moonlight. It was the package Vik had given her just before she left. _"A night-light...how thoughtful of him. He still thinks I'm afraid of the dark."_ Saria thought as she tossed it onto the coffee table before flipping onto her back.

She tried to fall asleep but the tiny vein in the back of her head continued to pound in terror. It was still pretty dark even with the moon out and it was only going to get darker. It wouldn't hurt just to plug in the night-light just for now. It _was_ her first night alone, afterall. Sighing with defeat, her right arm reached out and snatched up the box. "Thanks, Vik. I owe you one." She said happily as she dug her fingers under the tissue paper. Her thankful mood didn't last very long for the second she opened the lid, a loud pop rang out from between her hands and a cloud of soot blew up in her face.

Saria spent an entire 5 minutes blinking off the shock. When she finally regained consciousness, it didn't take long for her to realize she had been tricked. Had anyone been around, embarrassment would have been the first emotion to take over but since she was alone, immediately came burning rage. "That no-good scumbag!"She exclaimed as she tore the box to shreds. "I can't believe I fell for that! Just wait until tomorrow! I'll stomp his f-" _RIIIP._ Saria's apoplectic rant was cut short by an unexpected noise. The rip was short and crisp, unlike the rips from the box, which were rough and dusty. She glanced down at the two pieces of packaging in her hands and found half of a note taped to each one. She squinted furiously, trying to make out the words in the pale moonlight.

"To go in search of light will only foster the darkness. There is no true remedy for night but the sun is just over the eastern horizon. Follow it and you'll eventually reach dawn. Till then, use that faint glimmer from the promise of tomorrow to light your way." As she read, tears began streaming from her eyes. So much hope was brought forth by those few words. "Why are you still here? I thought I told you to stop trying to protect me." She said in the paper's direction. "You just can't stay away from me, can you?" A faint smile broke through her neutral expression as she gingerly wiped her eyes with the corner of her sleeve.

"_Because no matter how hard you try, you cannot shut out your family."_ A voice in her head answered. Saria nodded slowly. It wasn't just Vik, everyone in her clan was like family to her. She knew it was foolish to try and keep them from interfering with her life. She wanted to do things on her own but she didn't realize how lonely it would be. _"And to think an hour ago I wanted to get away from all of that."_

Be that as it may, it seemed fate had split the two halves of the note because they refused to convulge, for the bright atmosphere created by the first part was immediately thrown into the dirt by the second. "P.S. I've mixed permanent ink in with that soot. You'll be blue-faced for a week, no matter how hard you scrub! I'll be there to laugh at you in the morning." After finishing the note, a growling Saria immediately crumpled up the half-sheet before marching towards the bathroom. Who cares if tit said it was permanent? That wasn't going to stop her from trying.

---

Exodus kneeled down by the side of the stream and stared down at the water's surface. Ultima's previous attack had left him dangerously near-sighted and his reflection appeared to him as nothing but a brown blur next to a oblong moon. He leaned closer until his nose practically touched the the surface and saw his face was covered with streaks of red. Grumbling, Exodus cupped his hands in the river and splashed the water onto his face. It didn't do much good for his burn scars but it helped numb his irritated eyes. He sat there for a second, blinking back the fluid until his wooden skin had fully absorbed it. He did this a few more times until he could close his eyes without pain. As he rubbed his temples, a small, blunt piece of metal poked him in the cheek A simple look downwards revealed a silver rapier still stuck in his wrist, like an annoying splinter you just couldn't get out. _"Damn that girl."_ He thought, gripping the weapon between two fingers. With a quick but painful yank, the blade was pulled cleanly out. Exodus was familiar with kind of weapon and was not a bit surprised when a fountain of green mist sprayed up from the wound. "Poison..." He muttered, holding his wounded hand under the stream. The flowing water washed away some of the blood but did nothing for the main cause of injury. "It's a good thing I don't have a circulation system."

As soon as he was done freshening up, he cupped his hands under the river and drew up a handful of water. He waited for the surface to level out before starting his trek back to his plants. Like all living things, water was essential for life to prosper. The trip back took him only a few strides and upon his arrival at the flowers, he was prepared to give his fruits another breath of strength. That is what he would have done, had someone hadn't laid his coat on top of them. "Good evening, Exodus. Out for some midnight gardening, I see."

Exodus squinted hard at the unknown figure. He was definitely a male, probably somewhere in his late teen years. His voice didn't ring any bells so it wasn't one of those kids from earlier. That was all he could see with his damaged eyes but it was enough to tell him that this boy was an intruder. Water splashed onto the ground as he parted his hands and and clenched them into fists. "Get out!" He roared, throwing a punch at the boy's head.

Exodus's fists met their target with a large _clang_. Blinking confusedly, the tree of life craned his neck forward and found that he had struck against a thick, rectangular longsword braced with two hands at either end. Taking advantage of the spirit's disorder, the boy quickly turned the blade on its edge and sliced between the beast's fingers. The cut was deep but by this time, the build up adrenaline created a natural anesthetic, numbing the pain as he continued to push forward, pinning the boy against the tree. "You dare raise a sword against me? Who the hell are you?"

The boy acted as if he hadn't even heard the totema's words, fumbling through his pockets with steady calmness. After a few moments of searching, his hand withdrew carrying a small silver lighter shaped like a cross. "It matters not who I am, for I bring salvation..." He whispered, pointing the nozzle towards the closest branch. Exodus wasn't sure what that little device was for but the second he saw a flame spurt out of it, he did what you'd expect a living but flammable tree would do: he threw the boy a hundred feet in the opposite direction. "I've come to deliver you from the world which you hate so much." He continued, plunging his blade into the ground and dragging himself to a stop. "I've come to purge your body of sin and admit you into eternal sanctuary."

"Bullshit! I know why you're here; you all come for the same reason." The spirit responded with a snarl. The boy spoke no words but the painful smirk on his face reassured the truth. "They told me it was going to be painless, that I was being sent to a better place. Lies are what they are! I saw through to their wicked intentions and did to them exactly what they were prepared to do to me..." He opened his palms to his side, drawing in the viewless aura. "Now you shall suffer the same fate. Breath of-" Before the tree could finish his chant, the boy leaped forward, leveling his blade to the totema's neck. A single movement brought this attack to a stop while a second repelled him, landing him right in the middle of the road. "If you value your life, I suggest that you leave immediately. I will not hold back any longer."

"I don't remember asking you to do so in the first place." He responded as he pushed himself back up and pulled out his lighter. It took a few sparky clicks before a white flame shot out from the nozzle. Exodus immediately jumped back, expecting it would have been thrown at him but the boy just frowned and ran the flame along the flat of his blade, painting it with a red-hot gleam. "So what are you waiting for? Give me your best shot!" He said, clicking off the lighter. Immediately after the flame disappeared, the totema leapt forward, bringing his fist down upon him. The boy leapt aside, evading the punch as he spun around and whacked the beast's forearm with the sword flat. A dull ping ran out after making contact with the metal arm plate followed by contentious laughter.

"Ha! Didn't feel a thing!" Exodus said, stifling. "If that's the best you can do, this is going to be over sooner than I thought!"

"Take another look, bud-for-brains." The boy responded. The totema took no notice when the boy pulled out his lighter and reigniting his blade, but instead looked down at his left arm. The place where the sword had struck him was glowing orange. As it cooled down, the lights rearranged themselves into geometrical characters of an unknown language before turning black. As soon as the light went out, the armplate started cracking, completely falling apart in the next few seconds.

"What the hell did you..." The totema shook the question out of his head. Why should it matter how he did it? If he was capable of this sort of thing, it meant only one thing: the boy was a threat and should be exterminated before he causes any more harm. "I'll kill you!" The beast shouted, swinging at him with his left. The boy ducked, waiting for the fist to pass overhead before pressing the blade against the armored wrist. Soon afterwards, the left armplate met the same plate as the right. The boy clicked on the lighter again, this time lighting up the razor edge. "Die already!" The totema cried, swinging downwards with two unprotected arms. Before they could make contact, the boy swept the blade above him, slicing the beast's hands clean off their ends. Jets of water spurted out of severed veins as Exodus threw back is head and roared in agony. While Exodus was blind with pain, the boy reached towards his waist and selected three metallic stamps that were clipped to his belt. Holding them between his fingers, he heated them up before clenching up his and and punching the totema in the stomach. Smoldering, black letters printed themselves onto the smooth metal, spreading a long crack right down the middle of the armor. The rift branched out, zigzagging into the waist and shoulder protectors before spreading apart. The chest plate shattered and hundreds of triangular shards rained down onto the ground.

"So much for supreme protection. Sonic Boom!" He bellowed, throwing his sword at Exodus's head. It whacked him sharply between the eyes and exploded upon impact, sending the living tree reeling back while the sword went barreling upwards. "Sidewinder!" The human shouted. The sword suddenly stopped spinning right in midair and began to glow. Streams of light began to gather around it, molding themselves into a double-edged broadsword. It shot forward, impaling Exodus square in the stomach and pinned him to the ground.

An "Ugh..." was the best reaction the living tree could muster, for the grip of death was already gripping him by the throat. Even he knew when he was outmatched and the only option left was to run. _"I can't keep going like this..."_ He thought as he head slumped to the side, catching a lopsided glance of two approaching feet. One final thought crossed his mind;_"Let's see if he can follow me into the spiritual plane."_ A weak but ashamed smile crossed his face as his body began to break apart into smoke.

"Don't even think for a second that that's going to work." The boy said, drawing a circle in the ground by his ankles. As soon as the loose ends joined up, the symbol ignited, spreading out in a snakelike fashion, lighting up the other symbols scribed on the ground that encompassed the paddock. The spirit snapped right back into his solid form, unwillingly of course. "You were taking so long at that river I had enough time to draw a rather large containment spell. Just a little something-something I picked up in Runewarden 101."

For Exodus, there was nothing else to do but to twist around in a feeble attempt to escape so he proceeded in doing so. The boy gave a cold laugh as he retreated back to the tree and pulled glass bottle from his coat. "What are you going to do with that?" The tree growled pitifully, calming himself down after burning up the last of his energy.

"Relax, it's just soda." The boy responded, opening the cap and taking a sip to prove he wasn't lying. "You want some?"

"No thank you." The spirit growled, "I'd prefer it if my last meal wasn't human filth. You have no idea how much the world has suffered just to produce a single can of that stuff."

"It's your loss." The runewarden returned, taking another swig before continuing. "please do not misjudge me, I love nature; especially trees. They've been around for so long, I can only imagine what knowledge they've gained through years of silent observation. Flowers on the other hand...piss me off!" He tipped the bottle onto his side, pouring the fizzing liquid onto the unopened pods. Exodus's body immediately began smoking, provoking a cry of pain from his worn-out lungs. At this point, he didn't care how weak he was; that human had crossed the final threshold. Roots sprouted out from the ends of his "bleeding" stumps, twisting themselves into two wiry hands. He grabbed the glowing sword by the blade and pulled it out, pulling himself to his feet without stopping to take a breath (he _did_ just pull a sword from his gut) as he scrambled towards the human.

"You..." Before he could squeeze out any more words, the boy ended his speech by throwing his soda at him. Exodus, his eyes narrowing onto the bottle, paused for a second, just the advantage that the boy needed. Drawing the last of his strength, the boy kicked in the air, smashing the glass into the totema's face.

"It's amazing how strong one's will can become when their children are threatened. Your reaction has proved my suspicions correct." The boy called as Exodus fell over, writhing in pain. "It will all be over soon. Just try not to fight it, okay?" With a wicked smile, he plunged his hand into the flower bed and pulled out a dull, jagged object. As soon as it separated itself from the earth, it erupted in a flash of light. By the time his vision cleared up, Exodus's body had disappeared and the fruits had grown brown and wrinkled. Taking a deep breath, the boy reached into his coat one more time and pulled out a cell phone, stomping out the remains of the flowers as he selected the number from the calling list. After a few seconds of dial tone, a voice finally came through. "Hello?"

"It's me." The runewarden replied.

"Matthew? So you're still alive! The mission must have been a success."

"Barely. You said this guy was weakened so I came unprepared. I assumed in a tired state, a person wouldn't be able to fling me around like a rag doll!"

"Hey, you were the one who insisted on going in alone." The voice replied. Matthew implied from the tone of his voice that he was jeering on the other side. "So did you get the crystal?"

"I'm holding it in my hand right now." He announced, giving the jagged object a few playful tosses.

"Good. Get out of there as quickly as possible. The police would be there soo-" A loud blare of sirens cut him off.

"Looks like they're already here. I'll see you back at headquarters." With that, he closed his cell phone and dashed into the trees, disappearing behind the thick branches before the patrol car's headlights could catch sight of him.

---

**A/N:** Having doubts where the Captain's true loyalties lie? Good! Wait...what's that you say? Vik/Elena hints? Where? scrolls up Oh that. You're reading way too much into this. There's no such thing! I know you have other questions, but they'll all be cleared up in the later chapters. I would also like to take this time to say...Saria's Mary-sue problem has been solved! Yup, that'sa my solution. She's no longer the center of attention and she doesn't have Ultima killing everything for her. She's not the one holding everyone together; Elena's and Yolando are in it for tradition, Mosely and Kili for money, and Vik's just been unwillingly pulled into all of this and he can't get out. So she's in the clear...right?


	20. Bells and Memories

**A/N: **Hey guys! How ya doin'? Sorry for the late update (two months...I'm getting slow). These chapters keep getting longer and longer and they're too important to split into two parts. Not only that, I had finals to study for and half a dozen project to complete. But it's summer now, which means more frequent updates!

**Bells and Memories**

The dull, mechanical notes of "You Are My Sunshine" pierced through Saria's ears and invaded her dreams. Still half asleep, one arm wrapped around her pillow while the other groped blindly for the alarm clock. After successfully depressing the snooze button, she drew the gadget under the covers and viewed the position of the tiny hands. "7:15!" The alarm clock was still set to the school schedule! Frustrated, she tossed the clock over the back of the couch and buried her head back in the pillow. Alas, the sandman's runs were already over and sleep was nowhere to be found. After ten minutes of tossing and turning in a futile attempt to tire herself out, Saria finally got up and walked to the bathroom. _"I really need to get some slippers..."_ She thought, a chill ran up her spine as her feet made contact with cold linoleum. She walked up to the sink and filled the basin, splashing the cold water on her face _"Some mouth wash would be nice too. This morning breath is...what the..."_ A strange, blue face stared back up at her from the water's surface. She rubbed her eyes and took another at her reflection, this time in the medicine cabinet. It wasn't an illusion, her face was really blue. The events of the night before returned to her along with the final remarks on Vik's letter.

"Permanent ink, eh?" She challenged as she grabbed a face towel and soaked it under the water. She rubbed it hard against her face but to no avail. Next, she tried using some soap but it got her no further. She continued to scrub until she was sure her face would be red from bruising but when she looked back up at the mirror, a head of blue soot continued to stare back at her. "Fine! Be that way!" She shouted, throwing the towel at the medicine cabinet before storming out. The primal instinct in the back of her mind urged her to kick the first thing she saw, which happened to be the kitchen table. "Ow!" She pulled back from her inessential attack on the woodwork, gripping her big toe. Had she even a tiny bit of consciousness, it would have reminded her she was barefoot.

"_Get a hold of yourself, Saria. It's only been one day and you're already on the verge of insanity. Just take a deep breath and do what you normally do."_ Right. Normal. Even though she's living alone now, the routine were still the same. A few things were missing, however. _"Mrs. Fellcrest would usually have breakfast ready by now..." _She thought, studying the empty table. She was so used to having Vik's mom cook her meals she almost expected a plate of eggs and sausage to be waiting for her when she got up. "I guess I'll have to make my own." She eyes swept across the kitchen wall until she fond what she was looking for, a tall, rectangular box with two built in doors.

---

"_Stop looking so scared." Vik said in the monotone voice that's expected after explaining a countless amount of common things. "It's just a refrigerator. It's not going to bite you or blow up in your face or anything in that fashion. Here, look..." Without even a thought, he walked up to the metallic box and pulled open the bottom door. Saria immediately jumped back. "What's wrong?"_

"_It's freezing." She answered, drawing her arms around her chest. _

"_Barely. Don't you think you're overreacting? I mean, you did spend over 15 years in one of these."_

"_I remember no such thing!" In response, Saria receiving a dispiriting laugh from the omnivari. Her curiosity subsided long enough for her to give him a quick frown. "So...what is it used for?" _

---

"We store our food in it, you dummy." Saria quoted as she pulled open the insulated door. She looked in disappointment at the contents of the fridge. Every single shelf and compartment was completely bare except for a box of baking soda and a lemon, which were kept in only for sanitary purposes. Not even the greatest chef in the world could whip up something with those ingredients. _"I'm pretty sure you have to do something first."_ A voice in the back of her head told her. After about a minute's delay, the words finally flashed through her memory. "Buy...groceries?" That sounded right. Like her breakfast, she couldn't expect it to be all set up for her. Sighing, she closed the refrigerator door and walked back to her suitcase, shuffling through the maze of clothes until her hands closed around a wallet.

While gold was still the national form of currency, it had changed a whole lot during the past few centuries. Inflation had caused the average coin's value to drop. The amount of money it cost to buy a potato was ten times the amount it was a three hundred years ago. Seeing that people could no longer walk around with bulging coin sacks, the government implemented new coins. In a single day, the people were ordered to exchange their overflowing bags of 1 gil coins for 50, 100, 200, 500, 1000, and 5000 gil coins. The collected money was then melted down to avoid further inflation.

Taking a deep breath, Saria undid the buckle and poured the contents of the wallet into her hands. A sun adorned 500 and a few 100's, which bore a symbol shaped like an upside-down horse shoe, fell into her hands. Not nearly enough to eat out but it should last her until payday if she could find a way to make some cheap breakfast. "Let's see...it's the 8th today and I get paid at the end of the month...I'll have to find a way to survive 12 days on 1400 gil." She contemplated as she pulled off her pajamas and grabbed the first shirt she could find. "I could skip dinner on a few days if I can stuff myself up during lunch so that just leaves 12 days worth of breakfast. If I get hungry at night, I'll just eat the same thing." As soon as she punctuated her thoughts, she pulled up her jeans and pocketed the money. She was just about to step into her shoes when she realized something. She was still blue in the face. Now she could care less about what complete strangers thought of her; there were plenty of weird people in the city, who would notice one more? No, she was afraid she might see someone she knew. _"This shouldn't be too much of a problem. I'll just hide my identity."_ She thought as she ran back to her suitcase.

---

"_Would you mind telling me exactly what you're doing again?"_

"_I getting ready to go out." Vik said plainly before ducking back in his closet._

"_But why are you...trying so hard?" Saria asked as she walked up to the closet door and nervously glanced inside. "Normally, you would just throw on whatever the first thing you see."_

"_And that's exactly what I did today! I'm not looking for a shirt."_

"_Than what **are** you looking for?"_

"_A disguise." Vik said, emerging with a baseball cap. He walked over the hanging mirror on the door and tried it on_, _immediately shaking his head after doing so. "I'm still recognizable." He vented, tossing the cap onto his bed before turning to Saria. "Don't just stand there! The sooner we find something, the sooner we can leave. Make yourself useful and go search under my bed or something."_

_The girl threw on a look of pure terror, though both of them knew it was a joke. The bottom of Vik's bed was uncharted territory. Whatever goes in hardly ever comes out. "But you've been out hundreds of times without needing a disguise." She reached under the bed and fished around until her hand came in contact with something soft. After confirming that the thing wasn't alive, she closed her fingers around it and brought it out. "Would this do?" _

"_It's because we're going to a...nevermind. You'll know when we get there." Vik stuck out his head and caught sight of Saria waving around a ski mask. "No, I can't wear that for two reasons. One, because it's summer and wearing that would be like putting a double-boiler on my head, and two, because I'd look like I was about to rob a bank. Try again."_

"_Alright...how's this?" This time, she came out with a green-spotted bandanna._

"_Reason number two. Next!"_

_Grumbling, Saria shoved her hand under the bed one more time and removed the first item she came in contact with. "What about these?"_

_Vik stared at the objects in her hands for a few seconds before giving an admissible nod. "Yes, those will do."_

---

"Yes! Found them!" Saria exclaimed, proudly holding up a pair of sunglasses. It was perfectly normal to see someone with sunglasses during the summer and they did a good job of concealing the eyes, which were the most distinctive part of one's face. She couldn't do anything to hide the color of her face but hopefully people wouldn't stop and ask questions. _"They have better things to do than that..."_ She thought as she slid the shades over her eyes. _"Besides, this city is filled with strange people. I'm sure they're used to stuff like this by now."_ She stopped by the hall mirror to make sure her eyes were completely covered before grabbing her keys from the table beside it. "I'm going out now!" She called to no one in particular. She wasn't sure why she did it; it wasn't like there was anyone there to answer her. In fact, she would have been surprised if there was. It was just one of the many things she had grown used to.

---

"_Ok..." Vik said, sliding the glasses onto his nose before flipping the hood on his shirt over his head. "Let's get this over with."_

"_This place looks familiar..." Saria commented as Vik took her by the wrist and led her into the building. She caught sight of the shop's name as they passed by the front counter. "Madame Magnifique...wait, isn't this the clothes shop we visited that day when we first met?"_

"_Don't even remind me." The boy replied without even sparing her a glance. He stared straight ahead, doing his best to ignore the awkward looks from the other customers. "But the answer is no; it's a completely different chain that's just owned by the same company. Look at the sign again, there's a part of the name that you missed."_

_By the end of Vik's sentence, they were already a couple yards away from the entrance and the characters on the sign had clumped together into three massive blobs. Saria squinted at the last section and managed to make out the a single word. "What's a bra?"_

_The words made Vik stop dead in his tracks. As if things weren't bad enough already, Saria's outburst just made the situation ten times worse. All around them, people were looking up from the merchandise with disturbed looks of shock. Vik nervously waved them away before forcing Saria to take a detour into the clothes racks. "You're joking, right?" He said as soon as they were deep enough in the maze of circular frames. Saria chose to respond with a blank stare. "My god...please don't make me explain this to you."_

"_Would you prefer it if I ask a salesclerk?"_

_As much as he wanted to say yes, the resulting embarrassment of asking an adult was far greater than what would happen if he just told her himself. Sighing with defeat, he motioned for Saria to come closer and quickly whispered the definition in her ear. _

"_They're for my what!"_

"_Your br..." Vik blushed a deep shade of red. "Look, let's just grab something and..."_

"_Does it look like I need it?" Saria exclaimed, completely oblivious to the amount of attention she was attracting. _

"_No but all women wear them." Vik said weakly, motioning for her to quiet down. "And we **are** starting work soon. You'll look strange if you're not wearing any. So would you please just find something and buy it? I want to get out of here just as much as you do." Saria was still fuming with humiliation but she was able to jerk her head into a rigid nod. "Alright, so what's your size?"_

"_How the hell would I know?"_

---

As she stepped out onto the concrete sidewalk, the street was practically deserted, though it was hardly a surprise. Not many people got up before 10 during the summer unless they had to work. "Now let's see...where would one go to buy food...aha!" Located exactly across the street from where she was standing was a convenience store. _"It certainly lives true to its name."_ Saria contemplated as she quickly dashed across the black pavement.

---

"_Well, that was...interesting."_

"_Be quiet! I'm not talking to you right now!" Saria snapped from behind the curtain as she quickly pulled on her shirt._

"_Oh, it couldn't have been that bad." replied a voice accompanied by sequence of small clicks. A sudden pause told her Vik had found something and was looking it over. After a few seconds, the clicks started again, meaning he decided it didn't suit her and had returned the article to the rack. "I think you're overreacting."_

"_How would you like it if you were being felt up by a COMPLETE STRANGER!"_

_Vik let out a laugh which only caused Saria's glare to intensify. "She was only taking measurements so we would know what size to get you_. _It's her job; it meant absolutely nothing." The series of clicks suddenly came to a halt and a moment later, a pair of feet appeared under the curtain. "Here, try this one!" The voice called before throwing something over the curtain._

_The garment, a simple, gray bra, landed safely into Saria's outstretched arms. "Easy for you to say, you weren't the one standing topless in the middle of the public!" She said, looking the top over with fervent distaste. The two bras Vik had chosen for her before, laying depressingly in the corner of the stall, would have received a new companion had she found it unsuitable. Luckily for it, Saria silently accepted it and slipped it on. A full minute had passed before she realized she didn't know how to. "Um...Vik? Do you know how to put this thing on?"_

_A loud crash came from outside. Fearing the worst, Saria stuck her head out of the curtain and found Vik, sprawled out on the floor. "Oh my god! Vik, are you alright?"_

"_Of course I'm not!" Vik exclaimed, undermining his own statement by springing up onto his feet. "How could you not know how to put one on? It's a simple, everyday mechanism...like tying your shoes! It's not rocket science!"_

_"If you're so smart, why don't you try putting it on?"_

_"Because I'm not the one with-"_

"_Vik?" Out of ensuing chaos walked a familiar face. Though it wasn't one Vik was all too happy to see during normal situations, it was the embodiment of a savior at the moment. _

_Realizing the whole of the situation, Elena quickly moved the lacy corset behind her back, blushing furiously. "What the hell are you doing here?"_

"_There's no time to explain. Saria needs your help!" Vik blurted as he dashed behind the Viera and forced her into Saria's stall. She took one look at the condition of her startled friend and immediately stuck her head back out._

"_You idiot, didn't you tell her it's supposed to go **underneath **her clothes?"_

"_I thought she could figure that much out by herself."_

_The Viera shot him a loathing glare."You're completely useless..." _

"_And that's why you're here!" Vik returned, smiling at her brightly before pushing her head back into the curtain. _

_As soon as she was sure they were completely blocked from view, Elena took a deep breath and turned to face her hapless friend. "I can't believe I'm doing this..." She said to herself, her face flushing and her voice dropping down to a mumble in advance of her next statement. "Alright, take off your shirt."_

_Saria's face suddenly turned a similar shade of scarlet. "Elena!"_

"_What? We're both girls here! It's nothing new to me-"_

"_But that doesn't make it any less...uncomfortable." Saria interjected, folding her arms over her waist in case the Viera was planning on using force (like the salesclerk had before her). Elena gave her a irritated scowl but raised her hands in defeat; a universal symbol showing that she wasn't going to make any sudden moves._

"_Ok, have it your way." The Viera said, pressing herself against the wall as she moved behind Saria. "Now face the door. This way, I won't be able to see your reflection in the mirror." Saria glanced at Elena from the corner of her eye. From where she was standing, she would only be able to see her back. "So...?"_

"_I guess that'll be alright." The girl admitted as she undid her collar buttons and pulled her shirt over her head. "So how do I put this on?"_

"_Put your arms through those triangle-shaped spaces...yeah, like that." Elena said, her gaze constantly wandering towards the walls and ceiling. "Now just take the loose ends and fasten them together...no, it's you've got it backwards." It took her a few tries but Saria eventually heard a snap. "There you go! How does it feel? Is it too tight?"_

"_It's alright, I guess." Saria chanted as she made her way towards the door. Elena moved to cut her off but with much difficulty due to the extremely compact interior._

"_And where do you think you're going?" _

"_To show Vik, of course. He went through all this trouble to get me th-"_

"_No!" Elena interjected, suddenly turning serious. "A man can never see a lady in her undergarments! It is a sacred, time-honored code that we as women shall always follow!" _

"_So Vik can never see me in this...ever?"_

"_Well, there might be a few instances where..." Elena immediately clapped her hand over her mouth, ashamed of what she was about to say. "Erm...nevermind. Hurry up and take that thing off--they're not going to let you wear it out of here." She said before walking through the curtain. Saria emerged shortly afterwards, holding the lingerie gingerly between her fingers._

"_So how do you like it?" Were Vik's first words to her. Saria only shrugged but to Vik, that was an acceptable response. "Alright! Let's go get this thing paid for and get out of here. Thanks for your help, Elena."_

_The Viera glowered. "Don't you dare mention this to anyone!"_

"_Don't worry, I won't." Vik said as he motioned at the corset she was clutching behind her. "That would look great on you, by the way." Elena gave him a kick in the shins before storming off._

_Saria gave Vik a questionable look as they headed towards the registers. _"_Is it customary to kick someone in the shin after receiving a compliment?" She asked.  
_

"_Not in our culture. I'm sure it's done somewhere in the world." Vik responded as he limped over his left leg. _

"_Then why'd she kick you?"_

"_I'll tell you some other time. I'll need at least one of my legs to get home."_

---

"Your total comes to 1526 gil."

Saria's pleasant recollections were brought to a halt by a single number. "I'm sorry, what was that?" The girl uttered, suddenly aware of her surroundings. She was standing in the check-out lane of the convenient store with a bag full of one-step provisions. She knew she couldn't make anything fancy, seeing that the only thing she could do with a stove was boil water, so she only bought a few ramen packets with some milk and cereal. Other necessities, such as shampoo and toilet paper, were in the bag right next to it.

The woman behind the counter gave no reply, she just blew another bubble, popped it, and pointed at the LED screen on top of the register, which displayed the number 1-5-2-6. "Will that be cash or charge?" She asked after sucking the gum back into her mouth.

"There must be some mistake!" Saria protested. "I added up the prices on all of these items and came up with 1400 gil even."

The cashier groaned. Normally, she would be able to use the 'you're holding up the line' excuse to get out of talking with her unsatisfied customers but since the store was completely devoid of people other than herself and this girl, she had no other choice but to comply. "Look kid," She began without ceasing her chewing, "I have complete confidence in your math skills but you have to remember the sales tax."

"Sales tax? Buying items from this shop helps _you_, doesn't it? Why should I have to pay extra money for helping you out?"

"I don't make the rules, kid; this is the law." The Cashier mumbled through gritted teeth as she massaged the bridge of her nose. "If you want to complain about it, take it to the capital. Don't waste my time."

Saria stared daggers at the lady but humble resigned. "Fine, I'll put something back." She sighed, fishing through the bag for something she didn't need. For some reason, her words made the cashier's eyes widen.

"You ran away from home, didn't you?" She realized.

"Um...yeah. I guess you could call it that." The girl responded, pulling a carton of mouthwash out from the second bag. "It wasn't really my family to begin with and I was just causing them trouble. So I moved out."

"So you're living on your own? At your age? Oh dear, I had no idea! Look, if you're short on cash I'll wave the sales tax. We're overcharging you for these products anyways."

Without knowing it, Saria found herself frowning. Here before her was another person, a complete stranger, who was willing to bend over backwards to support her pitiful situation. "Um...no thank you." Saria renounced as she placed the mouthwash back on the shelf. "I can live without mouthwash for a few days but I can't live with the guilt you get from depending on others."

To the girl's surprise, instead of getting shocked, the cashier smiled proudly. "I know exactly what you mean." The women recounted, "I was in your shoes once. I got in a huge fight with my mom and she kicked me out of the house. I lived on the streets for a few weeks until my dad found out what happened. He took me in until I could sort out everything with my mother. Are you working?" Saria nodded. "You're lucky. When I ran away, I had no money, no job, and no friends to help me out. I had to beg for my next meal...believe me when I say there's nothing more demeaning than asking complete strangers for money." She finished as she tied up the ends of the two bags. "But you seem to be doing alright. I know you're going to last longer than me, at least. Take care of yourself, okay kid?"

"I will. Thank you." The girl answered, scooping the coins from the table into her hand before dumping them into the cashier's. She took her bags bags and was almost out the door when a voice called after her.

"If you ever need some help, I'm here every day from 5 to noon." The lady pronounced, "My name's Alison, by the way."

"I'm Saria." She replied automatically as she thought over the lady's proposal. Though it seemed rude to turn them down, she would feel even worse if she accepted it. "Thank you for your offer but I'm sure I can look after myself." She punctuated before leaning out the door. The cashier let out a sigh as she watched the girl dash across the street.

"Yeah...that was what I thought too."

---

Due to the lack of lighting the night before and her early-morning daze, she had failed to notice how messy the apartment was. Every inch of the floor and curtains were covered in cat hair, though the smell, thankfully, had been sterilized. The windows were streaked and the countertops were sticky with god knows what. 'Breakfast could wait' was the first thing that popped into her head when she caught sight of the wasteland she now called home. After all, who could eat in such a filthy environment. Dropping her groceries off on the table, she grabbed a rag and a bucket and started scouring the windows. She worked thoughtlessly, progressing through the next hour without notice. It was five minutes to nine when she finally finished, though the room wasn't exactly spotless. Hand soap was never meant to be used to clean glass and she still had no idea what to do about the cat hairs. "I've done enough..." She mumbled, saving herself a few footsteps by flipping herself over the backrest of the couch.

Weary from housekeeping, Saria decided to catch a quick power nap before heading to Bagabu Airport but just as she was beginning to get comfortable, she was disturbed by yet another impatient ring, this time it was the doorbell. At this point, Saria's sense of hospitality was overcome with fatigue and she could care less that a person actually took the time to visit her. She turned to face the backrest, doing her best to ignore the loud buzzing. After a minute, the noise finally stopped. Saria took a relaxing breath, enjoying the restored silence before it was shattered once again when the voicebox kicked in. "Nevermind. The bellhop opened the door for me." Pronounced a crackling voice. "I'm on my way up right now."

Saria suddenly bolted upright, eyes wide and fearful. _"No...it can't be him. Please don't be who I think it is..." _She sat there, frozen, with her vision transfixed on the door. The loudspeaker clicked off and not long afterwards, a knock came from the front door. A moment was spared to allow Saria to decide whether she wanted to answer it or not and sure enough, when the knocking started up again for the second time, she took a deep breath and slid off the couch. Hanging her head as she crossed the room, she let her hair fall in front of her face and stared straight at the ground. Her hand reached up and fumbled blindly with the lock, finally succeeding in opening it after several tries. "Well, you sure took your time." Said the first thing she saw: a pair of mustard-colored sneakers. "Now, now. There's no reason to humble yourself. I'm a forgiving person."

Saria flushed with anger. "I'm not bowing." She mumbled audibly.

"Then by all means, look up. I seem to have forgotten how you looked like overnight." Sighing, Saria slowly craned her neck upwards, starting from his feet, his pants, the plastic shopping bags in his hands, his shirt, and then finally, his smirking expression. "You opened it, didn't you?" Vik taunted, his triumphant smile growing even wider.

"No, I kept the air conditioner on all night and froze to death." The girl answered sarcastically. "What? You couldn't wait another hour so you could laugh at me in front of everybody else?"

Vik blinked. "What do you mean? I'm not going to laugh at you."

"You sure felt differently while you were writing that note. And you're obviously here for that reason."

"Oh right...the note." Vik mused, forcing back a laugh. "Let's just say that my words were appropriate only for that exact moment in time. The note's aim was to bring up your hopes and then shoot them down. That's how I do things; I thought you would have known that by now."

"Go to hell..." Saria muttered. She moved to close the door but Vik braced his arms against it, keeping it open by just a few inches. "Just what do you want?" Saria said through gritted teeth as she gave the door another shove, sliding it shut another inch.

Vik retaliated, pushing it back to its original position. "I'm here to help."

"I told you already--I don't need anyone's help." The girl responded, "This is probably another one of your tricks."

"It's not, I swear." Vik cried, switching around and pushing against it with his back. "I'm just here to wash that stuff off your fa-" Vik suddenly found himself pushing against nothing as the door was pulled open, causing him to fall onto his back.

"You better be telling the truth." Saria warned, now towering over him. "You can take a seat at the kitchen table. Unless you prefer the floor, of course..."

"No, the table would be fine." Vik responded. As he got up, a layer of cat hair peeled off onto his back, leaving a bare imprint of him on the floor. He followed Saria over to the kitchen, setting the plastic bag at the end of the dining table before taking a seat next to it.

"I guess this means I failed." Saria sighed as she pulled a chair up to face Vik. "I said I'd be able to take care of myself but here I am: one day in and begging for help."

"Actually, you're not doing that bad." The omnivari said, eyeing the apartment and the groceries as he pulled out a handkerchief and a blue plastic bottle. "You seem to have everything usual under control. If you came under normal circumstances, you would have been doing fine. Getting a face full of blue soot doesn't happen to everyone when they move out, you know. On the contrary; this is the kind of thing that shouldn't even be possible if it was not deliberately planned. So are you going to let me wash it off or not?"

Saria watched as he tipped the bottle into the cloth and pressed it against her face. The sudden change in temperature triggered natural reflexes, forcing her to take a deep breath. Almost immediately, an extremely bitter taste filled her mouth. "What is this?" She choked out between coughs.

"Aftershave." Vik replied simply, rubbing the cloth hard against her forehead. "I didn't expect you to have any here, since you're a girl and all." Tears began to well up on Saria's face as Vik started scouring her nose. "Just try and bear with the smell a little longer. I'm just about done..." Saria gave a small cough of compliance before drawing in a lasting breath. Vik quickly scrubbed behind her ears and her neck, tossing the handkerchief back into the bag as soon as he finished. "Okay, that should have taken care of most of the mess. You can just rinse the rest off."

While Saria ran over to the sink, Vik decided to take a look around. It was still a pretty dirty by normal standards but the place definitely had potential. It could even be considered upscale if she bought some decent furniture and got rid of the cracks on the ceiling. As he finished looking over the kitchen, he poked a finger inside Saria's groceries and reviewed the items. "Does the term 'empty calories' mean anything to you?" He asked as Saria pulled her head up from the metal basin, streams of blue now dripping down her face. "Don't tell me you're planning to survive on nothing but ramen."

"To tell you the truth, I'm not especially fond of that stuff to begin with." The girl answered, lifting off a layer of blue paint with a towel. Surprised at how easy it was, she quickly wiped down the rest of her face and threw the towel into the empty sink. "I only had a small amount of money so I had to buy something cheap."

Vik raised an eyebrow. "Did you spend all your money on food?"

"Yes."

"You do know you need a pot to cook this stuff in, right?"

"What's a pot?"

Vik shook his head as he walked over to the counter. "A pot is like a giant metal cup with a lid. We use it to contain our food while it's cooking over flames." He opened up up the dual cabinets and inspected the dismayed, barren shelves. "Just as I thought, you have no cooking utensils. No pots, no pans, you don't even have any bowls or plates."

Saria blinked, completely oblivious to the message being presented. "So what does that mean?"

"It means you better have something else to eat."

"I have cereal." Saria responded, picking out a cardboard box from her inventory. Vik took one look at it and frowned again.

"Saria...those are soap flakes. You use them with your laundry."

"What's laundry?"

Vik could have sworn he felt a vein pop in his forehead. "You're completely hopeless, aren't you? You really have no sense of self-reliance yet you were so keen on moving out. If it were up to me, I'd put you in a place where you'd be fed and taken care of by trained professionals, like a zoo for instance. At least there they'd be able to keep you from killing yourself."

"Killing myself! Making one little mistake hardly counts as suicide."

"That may be true but if you keep making them, you'll eventually dig yourself into a hole. Your mistakes will have consequences and we won't be around to help you."

Sighing with defeat, Saria sank onto a dining chair and rested her elbows on the table. "You're right. I'm not ready for this. Maybe I should just quit...before something _reall_y bad happens_."_

"I never said that." The Omnivari responded, taking a seat next to her on the table. "Just because we're not around to help doesn't mean you don't have our support. We want this for you just as much as you do. You're bound to start off on a bumpy road; so does everyone else. The only difference is your lack of experience puts you at a disadvantage. And because of that..." He reached into his shopping bag and removed two Styrofoam take-out boxes. "I brought you pancakes."

"Wait...what?" Saria pulled back in confusion as the boy laid the box in front of her.

"You know you want them..." Vik chimed as he opened his own box. The sense of independence Saria had felt earlier was shrugged off by the promise of food. At least her manners were able to subdue instincts, the latter of which told her to scarf down all of it as soon as possible. However, she wasn't up to the task of cutting the cakes into bite-sized cubes so she simply stabbed her fork through the middle and took a bite out of the extremely cold and stale flapjack.

"They're kind of dry." She commented after forcing the first bite down, "It could definitely use some syrup."

"Meh, I got used to eating them plain." Vik rejoined, pulling a small plastic cup from the bag and sliding it over to Saria. "My mom wouldn't let me go near this stuff when I was small. I tried it for the first time about a year ago and thought it was too sweet. I guess the lack of sugar products have made my taste buds extra sensitive."

"Now that you mention it...I've never seen you eat candy." Saria recollected, drenching her pancakes with caramel. "Is there some reason behind that?"

"Yeah. I'm a diabetic." By now, there was no longer any need for words to be exchanged between them. Saria just glared at him until the message was received. "Well...to put it simply..." Vik began, acting as if Saria had actually asked a question. "A diabetic is a person who has no control over the sugar levels in his body. A normal person would be able to eat as much sugar as he wants, since their body creates something called 'insulin'. Diabetics, however, have a lack of or no insulin at all. Because of this, they eat only enough sugar products to survive and take regular medication."

"What would happen if you didn't pay attention to what you were eating?"

"If I consume too much sugar, I'll get Hypoglycemia and could die." He stated bluntly, "If I don't get enough sugar, I could pass out and die as well." Saria looked down at her breakfast, taking note of the amount of syrup on it before promptly pushing it away. "Don't worry." Vik said with a laugh. "You don't have to concern yourself about this kind of stuff. It looks like you can handle sugar just as well as everyone else."

Saria gave her flapjacks a half-hearted poke before deciding she had lost her appetite. "It must be hard; going from place to place thinking the next thing you eat could kill you."

"Not really. I was diagnosed with Type 2 when I was about 8 years old. Both of my parents being doctors, they immediately made lifestyle adjustments. I had to lose 12 pounds and begin taking medication. All the sugar products in our house have pretty much been wiped out , save a few cans of soda and some jello packets. Like I said, that was years ago; I don't think much about it anymore." Vik's gaze fell onto Saria's abandoned flapjacks. "If you can't finish them today, stick them in the fridge so they'll live 'til tomorrow."

"Right." The girl uttered as she closed the lid. Scooting her chair back, she pulled open the refrigerator and threw it in. As she moved back to the table, Vik had just finished the last few bites of his share.

"It's not plugged in." The Omnivari noted. Saria quickly ducked behind the refrigerator to hide her blush, jabbing the cord into the outlet as soon as it died down.

"You think you know everything, don't you." Saria scowled as she brushed off a layer of dustbunnies.

"No. It's mostly just common knowledge."

"Whatever...so you have any more 'common knowledge' for me?"

"Yes. One last bit of advice. This is really important so listen closely." He said, leaning forward into direct eye contact. "If you're going to eat Ramen, don't drink milk with it. Trust me, you _will_ throw up."

"Don't worry, I'll keep it in mind." Saria responded flatly, already purging her mind of the newly acquired useless information. "If you have nothing more to say, you're free to go any time you'd like. Right now would be a good time."

"Nah, I think I'll stay here until it's time to go to work." Vik said, leaning back onto the table. "It's just a few minutes more, you can put up with me until then, right?"

"There's no way I can talk you out of this?" Vik shook his head. "I guess it can't be helped then." Saria said, sighing with defeat. "You can stay for five more minutes. Go ahead an make yourself at home."

"Sweet!" Vik shouted as he dove into the chair and plopped his feet onto the table. "Oh and before I forget, here's your _real_ goodbye present." He reached into his pocket and tossed a small, blunt object at Saria, who caught it at an arms length. "Don't worry, it's not going to explode this time."

Saria brought the object closer to her and examined it. It was barely three fingers wide and made of durable plastic. Nine buttons and an analog cross rested below a lit-up LED screen. "What is it...?"

"It's called a cell phone. It works just like a regular one except you can carry this around in your pocket and use it anywhere."

"So you can never stop bothering me..." Saria remarked with an annoyed smile. Their eyes met and laughter welled up. They spent the rest of their time in blissful silence, completely unaware of what was in store. Behind closed doors only a few blocks away, the ringing of another bell altered their destinies.

---

The chain of electric chimes caught Nicholas Acheron off guard. His whole body jerked in surprise, causing his fingers to slam down on the space bar. There were a few more beeps, this time from the computer, before the entire screen went black, flashing the words 'You Lose' in the captain's face. From his ruined Tetris game, he looked across his desk to the sound's origin where a black office phone laid hidden beneath the captain's forgotten paperwork. With a frustrated sigh, he quickly brushed the files onto the floor and pressed the loudspeaker button. "What is it?"

"You have a phone call, sir."

"Patch it through." The Captain replied impatiently as he returned to his game.

"I can't, sir...it's on _that_ phone." With adrenaline levels already running on high, this next bit of information came as less of a shock to him. His mind functioned for a fraction of a second longer, allowing him to hit 'pause' before the fatigue sank in. His hands gripped their individual armrests tightly as Nicholas pushed himself up, shivering slightly. "Sir...sir? Are you still there?"

"Hold my calls, I won't be gone long." The captain responded, lacing his voice with simulated rage to keep it from wavering. "And lock the door. Don't let anyone into my office! Do you understand?"

"Yes! Of course, sir!" Shaking off his paralysis, Nicholas strode across the room to his bookshelf. Almost randomly, he grabbed two or three tomes and flung them to the floor, reaching his arm into the newly formed passageway. His hand brushed against a switch, pushing it completely by reflex. From across the room, a section of the wall opened up, revealing a room laden with steel plates; a safe by definition. It stretched about 4 feet in and contained a single object on a glass end table: a Victorian-style phone with a brass dial. Though there was nothing strange about it at first glance, anyone who worked for the Foundation would have found it amazing that it even worked. To ensure security, all telephone calls were rerouted to a private satellite and sent directly to their respective receivers. Wires were now a thing of the past but no one ever thought to question their captain when he requested for a private line to be set up in his office. Steadying his hand, Nicholas lifted the headset out of its cradle and held it up to his ear.

No greeting was offered so there was a brief silence before the caller finally realized the dial tone had stopped. "So, you finally picked up. I was beginning to think you would never answer." The voice was low and scratchy; Nicholas wasn't sure if that was due to the phone's poor quality or the caller's deteriorating health but he recognized it nonetheless.

"Nero...it's been a long time."

"How dare you address me like that!" His voice rose. A fit of coughing brought it back down. He waited for it to calm before continuing at a more solemn tone. "My name is Neo Zaora and I will be known by that name by everyone!"

"By everyone? No, only by those who still believe you're a **god**!" The Captain growled. "The day I left the church was the day I was allowed to stop calling you that."

"Ah, but you _haven't_ left." Neo Zaora chuckled. "The fact that you've answered the phone proves that you haven't forgotten our little agreement." The captain's gaze fell onto the floor.

"I'd prefer it if you didn't call it that." He mumbled. "I like to think of it to be more like a contest and I've kept this line open because of that only."

"So the thrill of competition has kept your faith alive all these years?" He commented, audibly cracking a smile. "Your ego has always been your most reliable aspect."

"My faith is dead; as you are to me!" The captain shouted. Across the line, Zaora roared with laughter. "I'm doing this for one reason: to keep your slimy, wrinkled hands off the armor of gods!"

"And what, might I ask, do _you_ plan on doing with it? Destroy it? I know for a fact that you're not going to. I know you too well."

For some reason, Nicholas found himself forcing down a smile. He knew it was futile, seeing that Zaora was over a hundred miles away, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he was right next to him. Telephones had that kind of effect on people. "So I trust, since you're giving me this call, that you've found the crystal?"

"I have indeed!" The image of the priest's triumphant smirk floated across Nick's mind. "But a key is useless without a door. Tell me, are you keeping those scrolls safe?"

Nicholas flushed with both anger and shame. "I'm...decoding them." Zaora burst out laughing.

"You're way too predictable!" The priest breathed after weariness forced him to stop. "You haven't changed one bit since I last saw you. I can tell this is going to be fun." Nicholas's hands instinctively curled into a fist but with no one around to punch, he slammed it into the table. The surface shattered underneath it, sending the cradle tumbling onto the ground. "The race starts now." The voice continued. "Do try not to embarrass yourself."

"Good luck to you too..._Neo Zaora_." With that, the Captain hung up the phone, wiped the blood onto his sleeve and left the room. Afterall, he had a Tetris game waiting. And he wasn't about to lose.

**A/N: **Sorry for the perverted center part but it's all for the sake of entertainment. T rating's still maintained so don't get angry. Anyways, I have an announcement to make: we're finally getting into the main story! I'm sorry for spending 20 chapters to set everything up but you've gotta admit, it's a whole lot more believable than those stories that spend only 5 paragraphs. But since my story takes place in a different time with different characters, I had a boatload of information to distribute. At least you won't be confused when things really pick up. If you do, I intended to make it that way...


	21. Gathering Storm

**Gathering Storm**

Before the Foundation of Paranormal Archeology and Defense was established, the government put forth plans to build a radio tower on that very same site. Shortly after construction began, it began to arouse suspicion. A trench was dug fifty meters wide and a hundred meters deep into the designated spot; deep enough to support a building well over 4000 feet tall. The contractors were told that the projected height of the building would be no higher than 600 feet but the extra foundation was needed in case there was ever a need to expand upwards. As ridiculous as it seemed, they didn't think much to argue.

The support structure consisted of two pyramids, one flipped upside down, coinciding base-to-point with the other to form an hour-glass shape. Parallel beams were placed in twenty-foot intervals across the entire floor and filled with cement. Everything seemed to be proceeding as planned but when it was time to renew the building contract, eight of the fifteen high-officials of Parliament turned it down. By the end of the year and nowhere near completion, the original contractors were fired. About a month later, the construction of an international airport was announced.

A large, dome-shaped tent was put up over the entire site, blocking it from the view of the general public. The original foundation was kept but it wasn't until several years later when it was actually filled in--the government blamed this on plumbing problems. And an even stranger fact was that upon its completion, every single one of the construction workers were hired onto the airport staff. Though this was never officially explained, rumors were passed around saying it was done to keep the workers from telling others about what they were _really_ building there.

Eventually, the suspicion wore off and Bagabu International Airport opened for business, Passengers arrived and departed every day, completely unaware of what was happening just below their feet.

---

Nicholas Acheron boarded the elevator and pressed the button for sub-level 17, located in the center ring. Since the FPAD was built directly underneath the Bagabu Airport, its main building took the shape of the foundation's support structure. The center ring was the name for the diamond-shaped area formed by the two overlapping pyramids. Since the ring was conveniently located in the middle, it became a designated research area. Technicians and Librarians would gather up as much data as needed before sending it to outer rings for experimentation. The room Captain Nicholas was now traveling towards dealt particularly with encryptions.

The elevator came to a stop and opened onto a spherical room, dimly illuminated by the glare from dozens of computer screens arranged a circular platform. One could clearly see it was being used as a work surface; graphs and charts covered the it's entire area, weighted down by various language dictionaries. A Moogle was seated on an office chair at the end of the makeshift table, ears obscured by headphones and eyes affixed on the laptop in front of him.

"How is your research coming along, Mr. Easterby?" Asked Nicholas. The Moogle paused for a second but quickly returned to his former state of being. "Mr. Easterby! Report!" Nicholas pronounced more clearly in military fashion. Still no change came over the Moogle. Peaceful strategies were proved useless so the captain resorted to extreme measures. He walked up to the decryptor and yanked one of the cradles from his ear. "CARTER!" He shouted right into the Moogle's ear.

The Decryptor instinctively sat up, yanking the too-short cord of his earphones straight out of the jack. With the earpieces unplugged, the computer's main speakers automatically turned on, blasting the room with the piercing sound of pop music. "Captain!" The Moogle exclaimed, frantically punching random keys on his laptop, trying desperately to turn off his media player. Silence returned to the atmosphere a moment later and the moogle turned to his captain and offered a short bow. "Please excuse me, sir. I didn't hear you come in."

"Of course you didn't..." Nicholas responded, picking up the CD case on the table and examining it. "What exactly are you listening to?"

"It's _H.E.R._ They're an all-female singing group who specialize in pop. They're all the rage overseas..."

"It sounds awful..."

Carter laughed lightly. "My boss doesn't mind for it much either. He even threatened to fire me if he ever had to listen to it again."

"That doesn't surprise me. Olivander has always been a difficult man--very old fashioned when it comes to art but he was never one who judges people by their interests. I doubt he'd take away your job over something as trivial as this. Just be damn sure to keep those headphones on..." The captain's face suddenly became serious as he promptly recomposed himself. "Which brings me back to my first order of business. How far are you on your translation on the Gotor scrolls?"

Carter's smile disappeared with a sigh. "I'm afraid I'm no further than when we last talked. The progress I made during the past week has been proved misleading and was scrapped. As of now, I am comparing the script to every language key in the archives in hopes of finding a base but there's been no luck so far..." The moogle's voice dropped out but a huge grin spread across his face. "But I did find something interesting. Come one! This you've got to see!"

He hopped onto the table and gathered up all of his materials, tossing them into a pile on the ground before hopping down next to it. Loud, mechanical moaning was heard when he flipped a switch at the foot of the table. A small slit appeared around the platform, revealing a long, glass tube which rose up along its edges and continued on towards the ceiling. Half a dozen panels on the walls slid open, each containing a digital projector aimed towards the glass column. Carter plugged his laptop into a slot on the platform and punched a few buttons. Moments later, a three-dimensional image of his screen was shone onto the glass. "As you may already know," Carter began, "No sample of Agenian script has ever been found prior to these scrolls. The language it's written in has been largely unused for centuries. The only thing we know for certain is that it's composed of letters from the Grecian alphabet."

"But when directly translated," the captain pointed out, "we came up with nothing but endless lines of gibberish."

"That exact thing happened to me when I tried it too." Carter continued, "I also kept coming across this rune..." He pointed at a symbol scrawled on his notes: a triangle whose sides reached beyond its corners, forming the shape of a pinwheel. "At first, I thought it was a kind of punctuation but their appearances were too inconsistent. There were times when ten of them would appear in a row and times when it wouldn't appear for several lines."

Nicholas let out a restless breath. "I'm still waiting for the interesting part..."

"I'm getting to it!" The moogle hissed. "I'm trying to have you fully understand the difficulty of this task. This extended delay is in no way due to my incompetence."

"Pardon my words, Mister Easterby." The Captain apologized, "It's just...you've already told me these things last week."

"You can't blame someone for defending their worth." He mumbled before resuming his speech. "As I was saying: the other day, I came upon an article about the contributions the Agenians have made to the field of mathematics. They applied geometry and calculus to everything: Construction, sculpting, even to farming! And then it hit me..." He pulled up a copy of the scroll onto the screen. All the pinwheel symbols had been highlighted. "This symbol here...it wasn't a form of punctuation at all! It was a depression point!"

"A what?"

"A depression point." Carter explained, "They're used in three-dimensional modeling, more specifically in the tessellation process, to determine elevation. A single set can only form the most basic of shapes but by combining a lot of them together, one can replicate the image of any object they want."

"I assume this is going somewhere..."

Carter responded to the captain's backhanded comment with a cheeky smile. "Watch this!" The moogle's hands flew across the keyboard, copying the lines of text onto virtual pieces of graph paper. Within moments, several dozen sheets were filled up and lined up against one another. ""Now that we know what they are, all I have to do is line it up...and connect the dots!" He shouted, punching the enter key.

The screen lit up as hundreds of lines blossomed forth, extending from one symbol to the other. An outline of the image was soon visible and mere seconds later, the details began to sharpen. The Captain watched wide-eyed as the last piece fell in place and the unused letters disappeared to allow a clearer image. "My god..."

"Looks to be some kind of machine..." Carter noted as he reaccessed the details. "Just look at this stuff: gears, pistons, exhaust pipes. The object's composition indicates that it was probably steam-powered but the pieces as a whole are locked into the object's frame, suggesting a vast network of electricity capable of delivering enough power for each part to perform its individual functions while releasing whatever's left over through the exact same channels. I'm guessing it's some kind of generator...or maybe an engine."

'It's..." Nicholas shook his head and took another look at the screen. He had already spent a good portion of his life chasing after myths and legends. Countless times he asked himself if the things he had been searching for even existed and all too often those thoughts were proved to be true. Nevertheless, his persistence over the years hadn't faltered and he could see now that it was finally yielding results. Everything he had been working towards was lying right in front of his eyes. "Unbelievable..." Nicholas breathed, trying his best to mask the relief and excitement in his voice.

The Decryptor leaned back in his chair and looked at his captain thoughtfully. "So...I assume you're not disappointed?"

"I'm not." Nicholas replied as circled the desk , examining the projection from every angle. "You'll have to remember to send a copy of this to the engineers."

"Already done!" Carter promptly responded. "I drew a set of proper blueprints and sent them to the eastern wing about an hour ago."

"And the text?"

"It's all in order now. The scrolls were written to be read depth-wise. Now that all the letters are lined up, translating it should be a whole lot simpler. Which reminds me..." He double-clicked the screen and the object returned to manuscript form, this time with the letters in the correct place. The few words he was able to translate to English were written in red. "Apart from the obvious definite articles, the word that appeared the most was the Latin word '_cudo_', which means 'to forge'. I think they're instructions on how to put this thing together."

"You've done an outstanding job, Easterby. I don't know how to thank you."

"A raise wouldn't hurt." The moogle joked.

"Sorry but we're running on a tight budget." The Captain laughed, clasping the moogle on the shoulder. "You'll have to live with what you've got." With that said, he made his way towards the elevator.

"Just give me a bit more time." Carter called after him. "If all goes as planned, in about two weeks we'll be requesting a green light to start making the pieces."

The Captain shook his head as the pair of metallic doors slid open. "That won't be necessary." He said, stepping onto the platform.

"How come?"

"Because..." He answered moments before the doors pulled shut, "we're going after the originals."

---

"Advancement Exams?"

Yolando nodded. "They're held on the seventh day of every month. It'sss the only place where you can be promoted to a sssecond tier job."

"The seventh, huh..." Vik leaned back into his chair and looked up at the ceiling. "That only gives us about a week."

"Six days, to be precise." Elena corrected him, replying between sips of coffee.

Vik scowled at her from across the table. "I was trying to sound optimistic." He amended, "Things around here would be a lot less stressful if we didn't have a giant ticking doomsday-clock looming above us."

The Viera promptly set her coffee cup down and shot up from her seat. "Optimism? Are you kidding me?!? All you're doing is giving us a reason to slack off!" She shouted, slamming her fists on the table. Conversation stopped throughout the breakroom as everyone turned to look at the infuriated Viera. "Face it, people! We're seriously lagging behind! Other clans are already participating in the Clan Wars now or have enlisted into well-known guilds. And here _we_ are, doing nothing past assisting researchers or filing paperwork! We've been on **one** successful mission and have yet to start an engagement. Not to mention we haven't even gotten a single recruitment request since we've started!"

"Calm down, Elena." Mosely worded as he gently pushed her back into her seat and waved away the bystanders. "Vik was only thing of our...and your well-being. There's no reason to get upset over that." Elena shot him a glare but soon turned back, crossing her arms and musing in silence.

"But you know..." The nobleman continued, "She does have a point. We hardly ever set foot outside of this organization and the times when we do get out, we go to remote, desolate places with no person around to acknowledge our efforts. It comes to no surprise that we're so low in ranks."

"We haven't really made much of a name for ourselves, kupo." Kili admitted with a sigh. "And it's not like anyone's eager to join a clan highlighted by office work and menial dispatches."

"I don't know if you mean to do this," Vik said indistinctly, "but it sounds like you're thinking of quitting."

"We're not quite there yet, kupo." Kili replied, "But if things stay the way they are, maybe we should consider doing something a little more worthwhile...and less life-threatening. Clan work isn't the _only_ way to make money, you know?"

"It's not just about money!" Vik pronounced with a raised voice. "Right now, we're caught up in something big; something that's most likely going to affect the fate of generations to come. We're going to be involved with this in one way or another..."

The clan members looked down at the table, contemplating the right course of action. Vik was right; they really were in too deep on this one. After everything that had happened to them during the two month, walking away was no longer an option.

"You know...we haven't really talked about that incident. As a group, I mean..." Saria spoke up.

"What's there to talk about, kupo? The boss already said he'd take care of it." Kili responded grumpily. "It was traumatic for all of us and I, for one, am trying my best to forget it."

"But we're _not_ going to forget it!" Yolando hissed. "Vik'sss right. What we experienced the other day--it may be sssettled or it may be the tip of the iceberg. Either way, it'sss not going to leave usss alone. No one isss sure how thisss going to turn out in the end but until judgement day arrivesss, we prepare and wait in anticipation." The bangaa turned to face the group and cleared his throat. "Now, the first thing we have to do is compare ssstoriesss and come to an agreement on exactly what happened."

"We were attacked and annihilated by a giant, living tree. I think we can agree on that much, kupo."

"There's a bit more to that, you know." Mosely added. "Saria said it was a nature spirit...probably of the Earth Attribute. Isn't that right?"

Saria nodded in consensus. "And he said his name was Exodus and that he was protecting some kind of thread. That's pretty much all I know about him."

"Hmm...well that doesn't give usss much but it'sss better than nothing." Yolando sighed, pushing his chair back and folding his arms. "Maybe we could ask around. One of the pubmasters might have heard something."

"Hold on..." Elena interrupted, "Exodus...I know I've heard that somewhere before...ah! I remember! It was in this fairytale that my mother used to tell me."

"You're probably thinking of _Theogony, _kupo. It's folklore--not a fairytale." Kili immediately corrected. "According to the stories, the Le Grim shaped the universe around us and sent her five children down to help govern the elements. Her children, the Totemas, each created a race of beings in their own divine image. Exodus was the constituent of earth and the creator of the Vieran tribe." Kili looked up and found he was being regarded by blank stares. "What? It was a good book, kupo."

"You knew that much and you didn't say anything?" Vik asked with a raised eyebrow.

"It was a story, kupo! People just made it up a millennium ago to explain how the universe worked." Kili reposted, "Even though ghosts and magic may exist, we all know where the realm of fantasy ends and where **FACTS** begin."

"How could you say that?" Vik exclaimed, "You saw that thing in the hanger; what more proof could you need?"

"Sometimes even in a sea of lies a drop of truth can be found." Kili muttered, "Besides, how do we know that someone didn't just _make_ that iron giant, kupo? Totemas are supposed to be protecting our existence; not hanging around in some storage facility."

"But that spirit _did_ say something about protecting a thread." Saria stated. "Think about it: the two have the same name, control the same element, and serve the same purpose. It can't be just a mere coincidence."

"I admit that it doesss sssound a bit dodgy," Yolando pressed on, "but it ssseemsss to fit our stories in more waysss than one. If he wasss, in fact, the Totema of Earth, then he must have had a reason to attack one of hisss own kin." He nodded in the direction of Elena. "One of usss must have done sssomething to provoke him."

"Now that you mention it...I remember hearing something while I was in the paddock." Vik recounted. "It was Saria's voice...except it was coming from all around me. _'I wonder how these flowers would look in in my hair'_ or something like that. It didn't sound like a big deal to me but the totema practically froze with terror."

"Hold on..." Saria gave the Omnivari a bewildered look. "You said you _heard_ me say that?"

Vik nodded. "From fifty yards away, too. It must have been an echo or something."

"I doubt even that would have carried that far unless she shouted it into a megaphone." remarked the Viera sardonically.

"I didn't say anything at all..." Saria continued. "The words you heard...I was _thinking_ them."

A dead silence fell across the table as everyone exchanged like expressions of confusion. One by one, they all turned to the moogle, regarding him with looks of suspicion. "Spit it out, Kili. We all know you're not telling us something." The moogle twitched slightly but only moments later, he closed his eyes and gave a sigh of defeat.

"From what I've gathered from..._stories_, may I remind you," He began, "the world threads resound with the hearts of the living. Any desire, no matter how small, will be heard by the spirits within their realm." He perked his ears for a reply but was met by nothing. "It's just a story you know..."

"Let'sss assume for now that it'sss true." Yolando hissed, "It's all ssstarting to make sssenssse now! One of the world threadsss must have been planted underneath that tree and thossse tulipsss Sssaria picked were budding Exodusss fruitsss. They were hiss children...and he wasss protecting them."

"Which is why he attacked us..." Saria looked away, her face growing red with shame.

Elena reached over and placed a hand on her shoulder. "Don't blame this on yourself. There was no way any of us could have known what would happen."

"Elena's right; this isn't your fault." Mosely added, "And hey, at least we all got out alive!"

With those words, Elena felt Saria's body suddenly become rigid. Her shoulders tensed and her eyes became narrow. Her hands clutched the pleats of her skirt, trembling uncontrollably. "Saria? Are you okay?" The Viera asked, giving her friend a little shake. Saria snapped back almost immediately.

"Sorry..." She spoke softly, relaxing her hands and wrapping them around her arms."It was nothing. Just a bad memory." She took a deep breath before turning to face her clanmates. "There's something I have to tell you. During that incident...when I finally managed to dig myself out of the ground, you guys were already d-"

It seemed as if fate would not allow her to finish for at that precise moment, the breakroom's doors slid open and a wiry-haired Nu Mou stepped towards the group. "There you are!" Dr. Nicros pronounced, marching up to their table. "The captain ordered me to fetch the six of you. You're needed in the amphitheater..."

---

The amphitheater was, by definition, a large circular room with a sunken center floor. Three rows of spectator seats were lined up along the walls with a small desk built in front of each one. The entire setup reminded Vik of a college lecture hall. Instead of a blackboard, however, a long, wooden table was set up in the center of the ground floor. A three-dimensional display column (similar to the one found in the center ring) hung down from the ceiling, gleaming softly with the unfiltered light from projectors set up along the walls. Captain Nicholas was found seated at the front of the meeting desk, carefully organizing his notes in preparation for his speech.

The group followed the doctor silently, taking seats at opposing ends of the table while Dr. Nicros assumed a decorous stance behind his commander.

"I'm glad to see you all could make it here." Nicholas began, clearing his throat. "In light of recent events, something...unexpected seems to have come up." His words were fully understood by the teenagers. _'He's talking about the Totema'_ were their exact thoughts. "In a few hours, I will be presenting these findings to a body of investors and government officials...but I don't intend on telling them the whole story." He added in a dark tone. "That is why I brought you here. I have a job for you...quite a few of them actually. I'll provide the full details later but-"

"Forgive me for butting in, sir," Mosely interjected, "But it sounds as if we're about to do something illegal."

"Illegal?...Well, I guess in a certain light one might call it that." He responded with a small laugh, "It's nothing serious; we just need you to retrieve high-valued objects from another's property."

"Funny...that almost sounded like stealing." Elena scoffed.

"Think of it as reconnaissance without authorization." The captain responded nonchalantly, "Now we normally would not dispatch agents on these kinds of missions without the proper clearance, such as search warrants and the works. These things could take days to go through and unfortunately, we don't have any amount of time to spare. That's why I'm sending you guys..."

"Becaussse a government sssupport clan isss only _indirectly_ affiliated with its employers." Yolando hissed with a hint of disgust, "Ssso when we're caught in the act, the FPAD getsss off ssscotch-free!"

The doctor chuckled. "When you say it like that, you make yourselves sound like lap dogs!" The Nu Mou commented, "Now I assure you that your value to us is substantial and you still hold all the rights of a living being. Indirect affiliation is but a mere loophole in your ranks that we can use in case one of you does something so incredibly stupid that it lands you in court."

Mosely frowned. "Under the table politics...so we _**are**_ going to be breaking the law."

"To put it frankly: yes, you are." The Captain returned, "But the consequences through lack of action are far worse than a few civil disagreements. Now, with that said, may I please continue?"

"No." Vik said firmly. Around him, the other clan members glared at their captain with contempt. "We're a part of this organization; indirectly or not. You owe us the truth on what's really going on here."

Captain Acheron sighed. "If that's what you really want...but I should warn you, as soon as I start, I won't be able to take any of it back. This kind of information is worth its weight in blood and just by hearing it, one would become an unwilling part of a much larger state of affairs. I just think it would be safer if you didn't get involved."

"We're _already_ involved, kupo." Kili stated, "Now start at the top and explain everything."

"Very well..." Captain Nicholas gave a nod to the Nu Mou, who quickly walked over to the edge of the room and switched off the lights. Almost immediately, the projectors sprang to life, throwing thousands of fragmented images onto the crescent screen. But instead of a three-dimensional projection, the column showed a simultaneous view of several different sources; newspaper articles, typed records, and media files darted left and right, disappearing into the background as more and more showed up. The captain stood up and pressed a button on the side of the table. A second column, about a foot tall with similar dimensions, rose up in front of him. It was constructed of pressure-sensitive glass, which was hooked up to the control module, and contained a series of half-silvered mirrors. Everything that could be seen on the screen above was reflected onto the smaller column. "We'll start at the beginning; at the event which triggered everything that is happening now." He pressed a finger to the smaller column and dragged a video file to the middle of the screen.

The teens stared upwards with widened eyes. The screen was divided into four sections, each displaying a different section of a hallway; all of them overrun by monsters. "The 13th of Twinmoon at the scene of te Monster Holding Facility." The Captain imparted, highlighting a single piece of footage and zooming in. It showed the head of the monster horde and a cloaked figure heading towards the western wing. "On this day, we experienced a break-in by an unknown terrorist organization. They bypassed security and managed to reanimate a total of 175 Bombs, Flans, Dragons, and Lamias. We were able to reclaim about a third of that number; we have reason to believe that the rest were brought back to their hideout but their plans for them are still unclear." The camera zoomed into the cloaked figure's face, revealing the twisted expression of a one-eyed NuMou. "The name of the organization has since been revealed: a group of radical worshipers from the Zaoran Church of High Worship, The Neo-Zaoran Sect."

The clan members gave each other some uneasy looks. The face of evil had just been given a name but with it came a feeling of skepticism. "So we're fighting against religious zealots, huh? Can't say this is the first time wars have been fought over something so trivial like faith, kupo." Kili commented.

"It's more than just religion. The Neo-Zaoran Sect carries numerous right-wing ordeals with a reactionary drive. For the past 13 years, they've been trying to undo everything that our administration has worked for and 'return to a simpler time'. I believe you know what I'm talking about?" The teens didn't need to answer; they had a feeling he was going to tell them anyways. Another image pulled up on the screen. This time, it was a newspaper article from nearly 17 years earlier. "7 Bloodmoon, 2214: the beginning of the Great Extermination. Members of the Zaoran Church protested it every step of the way, saying that the government's actions were rash and even going as far as to label it genocide. On top of demanding an immediate end to the war, they also wanted for a preservation program to save whatever monsters were left."

"They sound more like animal rights activists." Vik stated.

"It may seem that way but those zealots only wanted to keep those beasts alive for one reason: to preserve the clan wars." Explained the doctor. "You see, if a clan grew strong enough and gained enough turf, they would achieve a certain amount of political power. They were the common man's protectors, which meant if he wanted them to stay, he'd let _them_ call the shots. Roots of influence have been known to spread all the way to the Judgemaster's desk."

"In the years before the extermination, turf wars were already grinding to a halt after continental unification. And now that there were no more monsters around, people no longer had to be protected." The captain continued, "The need for clans began to wane. After a few years, clan activity was reduced to only the most remote places in Ivalice. A few ex-clanners enlisted into the military but most of them hung up their swords and went out to find jobs in the cities."

"But the end of the clan wars was a good thing," Mosely interrupted, "How can anyone be upset over _peace_?"

"Because when the wars died, so did the '_freedom_' that was associated with it. Without clans, individualism dwindled and the common man no longer had any power. Ivalice became a republic almost overnight! A majority of the citizens were upset by this sudden shift of authority...to say the least. But over time, they came to accept this new form of government. Except for a select few..." Nicholas pressed an arrow at the bottom of the screen. A sudden barrage of articles filled up every corner on the screen; lynchings, riots, arson--all of them carried out in Zaoran's name. "As you can see, they stop at nothing short of violence to achieve their goals."

The group was appalled--even Dr. Nicros could be seen briefly looking away from some of the images. "Why haven't they been thrown in jail yet?!" exclaimed Elena, shaking in horrified rage.

"There have been a few arrests in the past but all of them were on scene. We can't slap a pair of handcuffs on them until they've actually _done_ something wrong." The Captain said solemnly, "We have, however, held diplomatic negotiations with them in the past. About 1 year after the war, they agreed to end their string of violence in exchange for the amnesty of one of their more prominent members. There have been no reports of civil disturbances in the years that followed...until two months ago." With a concluding breath, the captain returned to his seat and sat back down. "All that I've just told you I plan on making public toady. We will discuss the issue in greater depth and decide on a plan of action. What I am going to tell you next is strictly confidential."

"The illegal part..." Kili muttered.

"In order to secure all of their ambitions, The Neo-Zaorans realized that they needed to place themselves at the seat of all-inclusive control."

"Like...a _coup d'etat_?" asked Yolando.

The captain nodded. "But in order to overthrow the existing government, one needs power and support. In the past two decades, membership for the Zaoran Church of High Worship has grown to almost 1500 followers, women and children included. All that is needed now is power and they already know where to get it."

As he spoke, shifted through the miniature display and pulled up a new image: a black-and-white photograph of an elderly man hunched over on a desk. In each of his hands was a screwdriver, which were used to fine-tune the dial of an exposed table clock. "Amedeo Perseus, an artist and a skilled watch maker who lived up until the late 1700s. His most well-known invention was probably his "Golden Clock", which I believe is still in production today."

"The clock that never runsss ssslow..."

"An amazing feat for a time where technology was so primitive...but clocks weren't the only thing Perseus built." Another image appeared on the monitor: a map of Ivalice. It singled onto an area along the center of the country, a place known today as the Gotor sands. "Ivalice wasn't always a unified nation. Up until 400 years ago, it was comprised of nearly 120 different tribes. Relations were shaky during these times and war often broke out over border disputation. Did you know there used to be a huge lake right in the center of the Gotor Sands? It was a magnificent sight—a body of sparkling water could be seen stretching across the horizon from almost half a mile away. Regrettably, most of it dried up after a tribe of Moogles dammed up the stream flowing into it. All that's left of it now is an oasis. It may not seem like such a big deal now but for the thousands of people who lived on those lands, it was a devastating change. All of them have their own interesting stories but there's only one group who we need to concentrate on right now: the Agenians."

"Agenians were, for the most part, farming people. When their irrigation trails ran dry, the people began to panic. Messengers were sent to neighboring kingdoms in hopes of finding help. And it was during a visit to Bagabu that the Agenian king himself was directed to the door of Perseus Clockworks." The screen now showed a brown-tinted photograph of the man from before, this time much older. Seated next to him was a tall, stately man wearing a plain, white kaftan and a turban. "At the time of the king's visit, Perseus had been out of work for almost 15 years. But he agreed to come out of retirement to build one more thing—a machine unlike anything we had ever seen."

"Riiiight..." Elena broke in, "What can a clocksmith do to help a starving nation? I suppose he made a clock that could make it rain..."

"Your sarcasm comes dangerously close to the truth." The captain replied with an amused smile. Overhead, the projection changed one last time, forming 14 separate sections, each of them displaying a different object. They were all pieces of artwork, ranging from vases to swords to shards of crystal—all of them worn out by time. "Amedeo Perseus's final masterpiece: the Perseids, which they soon became known as. Though they may bare the appearance of elaborate sculptures, they are all considered clocks. Springs and gears have been built into the bodies and along the walls of these objects. When apart, they're priceless artifacts. But when combined..." The images blended together, fusing the objects together into a single structure resembling a tree. "They form the Tree of Life: a machine that creates water."

"Well, it's not _actually_ water." Dr. Nicros provided, "The Tree of Life uses two concentrated forms of an Water and Thunder sigil and somehow fuses them together into a new form of energy; something that can only be described as_ water lightning._ These jolts of lightning surge through the ground, providing vegetation in all surrounding areas with proper nutrition within a matter of seconds."

"That was, at least, it's original purpose." Nicholas said grimly, "Perseus understood that the machine he was making had unparalleled potential. Before he died, he made the Agenian King promise it would not be used for the purpose of war. That promise was upheld until the King's own death twenty years later when the king's only son and the throne's successor, King Hephaestus, made a few...modifications to the tree of life."

"By sending jolts of lightning straight into the ground, it can force a shift in the layers of rock, causing a massive earthquake. Theoretically, it can also create tidal waves and trigger volcanic eruptions." Dr. Nicros explained, "Whole cities could be leveled in a matter of hours and advancing armies would be brought to their knees!"

"Fortunately, they never got a chance to use it." Nicholas pronounced. "Hephaestus' plan backfired and the Tree of Life went out of control, destroying the ground beneath the city instead. The Kingdom of Agenor sank into the sands; its residents were buried alive."

"That's...unbelievable." Vik breathed, shaking his head slowly. "Were there any survivors at all?"

"A few, though they all lived at the far edge of town. They all died a few days later as they journeyed across the desert."

"The weapon was destroyed too?" Saria asked.

"Erm...no." The Captain responded, "That's why I called you in here." He cleared his throat and faced the clanners directly. "I want you to hunt down these twelve Agenian relics and reassemble the Tree of Life."

The teens all stood at once.

"Are you out of your mind?!? This thing's-"

"...it's killed millions already! And even _more _if-"

"...what would you accomplish by making this? Nothing good, I suspect-"

"...Playing God! That's the only thing you're doing!"

"...sssomethingsss gone wrong before! Who'sss to sssay-"

"... only war, kupo! It will make cause nothing else!"

"Quiet!" Dr. Nicros bellowed, slamming his fist on the desk. One by one, the clanners fell silent and were driven back to the seats by the Nu Mou's glare. "Now we have a fully justifiable reason for doing this but you're never going to hear it if you keep interrupting!"

"But this is crazy, kupo!" Kili protested, "First you tell us about a machine that's dragged a whole city of people to their graves and now you want us to go dig it up so the same thing can happen to someone else!"

"There's a reason this thing ended up underground in the first place." Elena added, "It's a threat to life as we know it. Rest assured, if we _**ever**_ find ourselves digging this thing out-"

"...we'll destroy it." Vik finished with a hardened stare. Around him, his clanmates nodded in agreement.

Captain Acheron took a deep breath and sank into his seat while massaging the bridge of his nose. "First of all, there won't be any digging on this mission. The ruins of Agenor have been uncovered almost fifty years ago. The Perseids were all found intact."

"Oh joy..." Kili scoffed.

"I'm guessing by now they've already been placed in a museum sssomewhere."

"A few of them are. Others are in the possession of private collectors or have been put into practical use. As of now, we have only a vague idea of where they might be but I can say for sure that they're scattered all over the country."

"And how does Neo Zaora tie in with all of this?"

"I told you they needed power, right?" The captain noted, "A look into Neo Zaora's genealogy reveals evidence of the Agenian royal bloodline. It is without a doubt that he has known about this technology for quite some time now...and has already begun collecting them."

"He'sss chasing fairiesss." Yolando mumbled, "What evidence isss there that sssaysss thisss thing actually existsss?!"

"You found that evidence two weeks ago!" The captain shouted, flinging a stack of papers from his folder onto the center of the table. "Remember the scroll you found in Gotor? It explained _in detail _how these Perseids were made! Remember who you ran into when you found them? The Neo Zaorans! They know it exists and they're already several steps ahead!"

Mosely picked up the report and quickly glanced over it. "He's telling the truth, guys." He said finally.

Vik breathed out and turned to face Captain Acheron. "I guess that's it then." He said in defeat, "What do you need us to do?"

"Glad to see you're cooperating..." All but one of the projectors turned off at once, leaving a single image on the screen: a simple, rectangular jewelry box. "This is your first objective: a piece that has come to be known as Pandora's Box."

Kili's ears perked up. "Pandora? Like...the one from the story?"

The captain nodded. "Perseus seemed to think it was a fitting name. It was the last of the Perseids to be constructed...and he was laid to rest knowing that if it were ever opened, the results would be cataclysmic!"

"Even worse than hordes of plague, famine, and sin billowing forth to corrupt civilization, kupo?" Kili rolled his eyes. Nicholas stopped briefly to give him a nasty look.

"As you know," he continued as soon as the moogle resumed a respectful bearing, "each of the Perseids have intricate clockwork grids built into them. These mechanisms were put in by Perseus to be used as a kind of fail-safe. As soon as they're broken up, each relic begins ticking away at different speeds. If they're put back together without being synchronized first, the gears will jam and the entire structure will crumble. By doing this, Perseus was sure he could keep the Tree of Life from falling into the wrong hands. But if for whatever reason the Perseids were needed again, he created a device to tune them to the correct frequency."

Vik looked to the image on the screen. "You mean this thing here?"

Captain Acheron nodded. "You must understand--it is of the utmost importance that we obtain this relic, as it is the most vital to our mission."

"And what are you going to do with it when we bring it back?"

"We'll use it to find the others." He said plainly. He gave a nod to the doctor, who promptly turned off the last projector. One by one, the amphitheater's lights came back one. "There. I told you everything that is known up to now." The captain said, rising from his seat and turning to address the entire clan. "So what's it going to be? Your compliance is implored but I cannot force you to cooperate. It's your decision—just know that the course of history would be affected by it."

"We made our choice when we formed a clan." Vik said soberly, "A mission is a mission; as a clan, it is not our place to complain. We exist only to carry out your orders. If you say this will ensure the security of the public, then we will believe you." He looked to his friends, who only stared back with uncertainty. "We're in too deep already." He muttered.

"Excellent! You're beginning to sound more like agents now." The captain said, clapping his hands once. Around him, the teens dejectedly stood up. "Research is already underway. We'll let you know when we find the relic's exact location. Until then, prepare yourselves for what's to come. Company dismissed!"

The clan members bowed and pushed in their chairs before heading out through the doors. Vik lagged behind, not wanting to be caught by the judging looks of his teammates. _"You made the right decision."_ A voice reassured him, _"Had it been one of them, they would have done the same thing." _

"But still..." He whispered back. It was a bad feeling—like a pin stuck in the back of his neck. It told him that something wasn't right and he had just agreed to do something he would soon regret. Purging his mind from wicked doubts, he looked up at the backs of his friends and found they were one person short. "Hmm...she's staying behind." He noted, preparing to turn back but quickly decided against it. It was probably a private matter after all.

"She'll catch up."

---

Saria waited until the rest of Seventh Heaven had left before turning to face the Captain. "Sir...if you don't mind, I have one more question to ask."

"Ask away."

"Why don't you want us to destroy those relics. That's all it takes to keep it out of the church's hands, right?"

"That may be true...but this technology has proved too valuable for us to pass up."

Saria's eyes narrowed. "You're planning on using it against them, aren't you?"

The captain laughed—something that made Saria feel a bit more than uneasy. "I may if the situation calls for it." He answered, "But that's not what I'm aiming to do. I have something else in mind..."

"Like what?"

"I don't know if you've noticed it; you've only been with us for a short amount of time." Nicholas responded. He walked right past her, strolling up to the stands. "Things today are a lot different than how they were half a century ago. Just take a look outside and tell me what you see. Factories, pollution--the destruction of the natural environment. People no longer have need for magic; technology and industrialization has made life far more simple. Through all our greed and corruption we have failed to see that our planet is dying...and that we are the cause."

"And what does this have to do with the Perseids?"

"Everything!" Nicholas replied, "This machine provides limitless possibilities: a clean source of energy, revitalization of our resources, and we can even bring life back into the Jagd wastelands!"

"So you're trying to restore natural order..." Saria said, stiffening her arms to keep herself from shaking in rage. "What makes what you're doing any different from what the church is trying to accomplish?"

"What they're trying to accomplish is genocide!" The captain bellowed.

"And you may just end up doing their job for them!" Saria shouted back, clenching her fists. "Don't you realize by doing this you're endangering millions of lives?"

Captain Acheron suddenly turned his head, glaring at Saria through the corner of his eye. The girl immediately backed down and allowed her gaze to fall to the floor. "There is no black or white answer for this, Saria." He said, sighing as he crossed the room and sat back down on his seat. Saria silently followed. "If we destroy the Tree of Life, in 50 years every living thing on this planet will be dead. The result will be the same as if we had let it fall into Zaora's possession. If you really want to save the world, this is the only way."

"I see..." Saria mumbled.

"Is there anything else you'd like to know?" Saria shook her head. "Then get back to work." The captain ordered.

With an air of defeat, the girl gave him a bow and walked out of the theater. Dr. Nicros watched her go, waiting until her black uniform disappeared into the next hallway before taking a seat next to the captain. "You never were one who concerned himself with saving the world. I, of all people, should know that." He said, frowning.

"People change, Olivander." The captain put simply without even looking up.

"They do but never so drastically. Up until now, you've never considered anyone's interest but your own."

The captain glared up, catching sight of the smirking Nu Mou. "Fine." The captain breathed, "I'll admit that I wasn't being entirely truthful. Even though by doing so, it would change nothing."

The doctor's grin grew wider. "But you still felt the need to keep them in the dark."

"I told them all they needed to hear!" Nicholas said firmly. "You have to understand that they aren't like you and me. As children, they make their decisions based on conscience and impulse. You saw the way they reacted when I told them about their mission. What do you think would happen if I told them our true intentions?"

"They would probably quit..." Doctor Nicros predicted, "Or they would try to find a way to stop you."

"Exactly my point! I would rather have them working **for** us than **against** us."

"One thing still worries me..." The Doctor mused, "Are you sure they'll be able to handle this line of work? You said so yourself: they _are _still children."

Nicholas gave a small laugh. "I believe they're a lot more capable than you give them credit for."


End file.
